Cells at Work: Ebola
by ViktorChild
Summary: The human body is suddenly infected by a virus that turns immune cells against each other. Join Natural Killer Cell, Killer T Cell, Macrophage, and White Blood Cell, as they battle out a seemingly unstoppable enemy whose goal is nothing but the complete and utter destruction of their world.
1. Prologue

**Cells at Work: Ebola**

 **Prologue**

On a dark alley near the epidermis region of the left toe, a genocide was taking place.

A maiden in pure white swung her large scythe and cleaved an infected skin cell into two. Cellular fluids gushed out from the felled enemy staining her short caramel-brown hair and frilly maid uniform with splatters of crimson.

Surrounding her were her fellow maids also in the middle of extinguishing other infected cells that had turned into mindless zombies donning weird spiky hats. They wield an assortment of deadly weapons that looked terribly out of character from the noble persona they always try to project.

In their path laid the corpses of hundreds of their enemies with hundreds more to follow.

Another wave of the infected came rushing in from all opening alleyways, some crawling like spiders on the walls, hellbent on adding these maidens into their ranks.

The maid with a scythe looked at the incoming enemy and smiled.

"Sisters, we are outnumbered," she yelled. "The enemy sends reinforcements, and we are surrounded,"

The group had formed a circle on an intersection for four alleys now filled up with the second wave of the infected.

She tightened her gripped on her weapon as she chuckled. "They can't get away from us now."

She raised her scythe, and her entourage howled their delight for more carnage.

Their enemies responded with the haunting screams of the damned.

-0-0-0-

Her boots trudged on a sea of corpses. Her white maid dress had turned red from being drenched by the fluids of her felled enemies.

A still-living infected cell tried to get up, but she brought down the blade of her scythe on his back, ending his existence for good.

The second wave came, and they decimated it completely.

No mercy shown, no quarters given.

A grin slowly crept on her face. A sense of euphoria filled her body that made her tingle with pleasure. She dropped down her scythe as she tried to wrap her hands around her.

"This slaughter," she moaned. "It feels so good…"

Her fellow maids also stopped to savor the slaughter they've made.

In the vast society of cells inside the human body, they, the ever-industrious macrophages, have many roles to fulfill. They donned eloquent maid uniforms to indicate their work as nursery teachers, caretakers, and cleaners. A friend to many, a saint to all. They speak in a refined manner so as to maintain the nobility and respect expected of their breed.

However, beneath their smiles and proper etiquette lies a mitochondrion of a natural-born killer. Fearless and yet feared, they struck terror to all those who seek harm to the body.

They were the macrophages, the immune system's maidens of death.

"Beg your pardon Onee-sama…"

She turned her attention to her right where one of her subordinates stood and doing a curtsy.

"Yes, sister?" She bowed her head in return. "Anything to report?"

Her subordinate held out her right hand to show her a hat with spikes protruding from its surface. It had six chitinous legs and a long tendril dangled on its back that looked like a pneumococcus' tail if worn on the head.

She furrowed her brows as she leaned forward to get a closer look. "I have never seen such a strain of virus before."

"Aye, Onee-sama," Her subordinate concurred. "I've reported this virus to Dendritic-sama, and he mentioned there was no record of it before."

"Nasty little buggers," she quipped. "They must have spread through fluid contact with the ski-"

Her eyes suddenly went wide. Alarm bells inside her head screamed at her of impending danger, and she immediately jerked away from the virus hat.

She was just a fraction of a second too late.

The virus hat let out a screech as it leaped directly at her face.

The assault made her stagger a few feet back before she fell to the ground with a thud. She tried to dislodge the virus hat from her face, but its spindly legs had already dug into her neck and temple.

She let out a shriek her subordinates tried to yank the face-hugger out to no avail.

"Get it off!" She yelled. "Get… This… O-"

But before she could finish her sentence, the virus hat's tail curled around her neck, and like the stingers of a pneumococcus, it stung her on the neck, injecting black fluids into her.

She struggled for a couple of seconds before her arms and legs went limp.

"Onee-sama!" her subordinates cried. "Onee-sama!"

"S-stay back… All of y-you!"

One of her subordinates rushed in to kneel beside her. She grabbed hold of the virus hat with her hand as she raised her other hand wielding a long jagged dagger.

"Onee-sama, please don't die!" Her subordinate muttered as she plunged her dagger toward the virus hat.

But the dagger never reached its intended target.

Instead, the fallen maid managed to grab her subordinates' weapon before it could kill the virus hat.

"O-Onee-sama, what are you d-doing?" Her subordinate asked, horror clearly audible in her tone.

Her subordinate tried to squirm her hand away from her hold to no avail. Her grip remained tight and firm until her subordinate finally dropped her dagger.

Then, with heavy effort, she staggered to her feet as the virus hat started to move up from her face to settle on top of her head.

Her subordinates watched in horror as black fluids dripped down from her temples and her eyes now glowed a sickly yellow hue.

"I feel…" she moaned. She started to wobble. "I feel…"

"O-Onee-sama?"

Then without warning, she lunged at her nearest subordinate, ripping out her throat with her jaws. Red cellular fluids burst out from her dying prey who didn't even have the chance to react.

"Onee-sama is lost!" One of her subordinates shouted. "Kill her!"

Without any hesitation or remorse, her other subordinates quickly moved to suppress her, but she'd already jumped to her second victim.

The screams of her doomed subordinates filled the air only to be accompanied by her unworldly cackle.

* * *

 **A/N:**

Years ago, I got terribly sick, and in my feverish state, I suddenly got this weird idea of writing a story for Cells at Work.

And yes, the cover image is that of Macrophage in Space Marine armor from Warhammer 40k. Weird things happen when you're sick. Image Credits goes to ToxicStarr.

Originally published on Sept. 18, 2018

* * *

 **PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT (MARCH 22, 2020):**

Dear readers, as you know, we are all facing a pandemic which has severely affected a number of countries right now. Since this is a fanfic about an anime show of anthropomorphic cells in our body, I believe it's only proper for me to also reiterate here that our bodies, particularly our immune cells, definitely need our utmost care.

When the Covid-19 invades our lungs, it will start hijacking the lung's epithelial cells and force them to create more viruses. After some time, your immune cells will be called up to deal with this infection. Neutrophils and KT cells will be called up to do battle against this infection, but if you have an immune system that is compromised, this microscopic war could prove to be deadly.

As such, please do not take any chances. This is not just any ordinary flu. Several countries already have their healthcare systems seriously overwhelmed by the flood of patients. Let's do our part in 'Flattening the Curve' by practicing Social Distancing, religiously washing our hands (absolutely important!) and Community Quarantine. Our country's governments are doing what they can, let's also do our parts.

Shout out to all my readers from the US! The huge bulk of readers I get every month is always from the US. Shout out to everyone in Canada and Mexico as well who I also have a number of readers. I'm definitely grateful for all of your continued readership. Please, stay safe all of you!

Also to everyone in Europe especially in Germany, the UK, and Italy... please stay safe as well especially since, from what I hear, the infection is still getting severe.

And to everyone else, especially from developing countries like mine, the Philippines... Don't drop your guard, remain vigilant. We can all survive this!

Don't get sick, and I'll meet you again in the next chapter. ^^

...

 _This PSA was originally posted on March 21, 2020 on Chapter 24._

 _For more info on Covid-19's effects on the lungs, please watch the latest Kurzgesagt video titled: The Coronavirus Explained & What You Should Do._


	2. Chapter 1: Acquaintances

**Chapter 1: Acquaintances**

 **Day 4**

Everyone felt it.

Every cell in the world felt the wrongness permeating in the air, and yet no one even dared to utter a guess on what it could be.

Nutrients no longer tasted sweet, Red Blood cells march all around the circulatory system in almost complete silence, and normal cells preferred locking themselves inside their homes rather than going out to play.

Something was coming.

And it was coming for all.

-0-0-0-

NK hated meetings.

As her name stands, she was a natural killer, an independent cell that would prefer to be out in the fields hunting the enemies of the world rather than waste her time on this boring meetings.

Every second spent here was a second not used in searching for the enemy. The thought pisses her off immensely. She was a hunter and hunters needed to prowl and not be kept locked in cages.

But alas, her presence was needed here. The threat to the world was so urgent that Helper T required all the senior cells in the immune system in this meeting in order to highlight the severity of the problem.

"Ugh, I hate this place," she muttered as she crossed her arms.

"Hush, keep your thoughts to yourself," the cell beside her warned.

Her lips formed a frowned as she turned her head to her left and saw a tall, well-muscled blond-haired cell wearing the military uniform of the Killer T Cell uniform.

"How 'bout you mind your own damn business?" she shot back.

KT let out a tired sigh as he turned to look at her. "Listen, we're meeting up with the big shots from the brain and the last thing we need is for them to find an excuse to boot us out from this place."

NK opened her mouth to counter but KT continued.

"I've seen them once and boy do they have giant metal sticks stuck up their behinds."

"Ok fine, I'll shut up!" NK raised her arms to the side in mock surrender. "And you too also have a giant metal stick stuck up your behind."

"Yeah, whatever," KT raised his hand to adjust his cap before straightening up to stand at attention.

 _Tsch. Blowhard,_ she thought as she opened her mouth into a cavernous yawn.

Aside from her muscle-brained colleague, other senior ranking immune cells were standing a line beside her. They were all gathered inside this dimly-lit conference room in the Hypothalamus, a small sector in the brain that regulates body temperature and appetite.

They were currently waiting for the other bigwigs in the brain to arrive since the matter to be discussed urgently already needed their help.

Everyone inside looked tensed and apprehensive. Like her, they all looked as if they wanted to be anywhere but here.

To the left of KT stood in attention Helper T Cell and Regulatory Cell, the strategist and regulator of the immune system respectively. Helper T wore his unjacketed military uniform while Regulator wore a rather sharp and fitting business suit that correctly accentuated her curves where it counts. Contrast that with NK's pragmatic attire of wearing a plain black tank top, cargo shorts, and boots.

The last cell standing after the two was Dendritic Cell, an annoying antigen-presenting cell that served as a messenger for the various contacts in the immune system. He had a mischievous streak of releasing embarrassing photos of immune cells so as to activate them to their full potential. NK was no exception, and she'd suffered numerous humiliating cytokine activations from his hands and much to his chagrin. The memory of her past still made her shudder, and she swore to kick his membrane someday if fate and schedule permits.

"NK-chan, you're glowering again," a voice to her right chuckled. "That's not good for your complexion."

NK quickly turned her head to her right and immediately shuddered. An elegant maid with a long hazel-brown hair now stood beside her.

Despite NK's reputation as a hunter, she had completely failed to notice any signs of the maid entering the room.

The newcomer tilted her head slightly to give her a warm, friendly smile.

"Lady Macrophage," NK immediately straightened her posture as she bowed her head low in respect to her former teacher. "I-Its a pleasure to see you again."

"The pleasure is all mine, NK-chan," the elegant maid also bowed her head in greeting. "And you have changed so much since the last time we saw each other. You have grown to become such a beautiful and mature cell, NK-chan."

"Uh, yeah, thanks…" she replied, blushing.

It was true, she had not seen her former teacher since her training in the academy. Lady Macrophage had many apprentices under her tutelage and NK was one of the youngest she had ever trained.

Lady Macrophage taught her various forms of martial combat as well as the proper wielding of assorted melee weapons.

She also taught her proper etiquette and the path of the maid, but she'd rather not remember any of her actions on this particular kind of training.

"The last time I saw you, you were only a head shorter than me and still very cute!"

"Ahahaha… Yeah."

"I know, perhaps you could join me sometime for some afternoon tea and, ah!" she clapped her hands. "I have some frilly dresses I simply would love for you to tr-"

"Ehh, maybe some other time milady," NK placed a hand on the back of her head as she bowed her head again to apologize. "Patrols have been busy come of late… "

"Oh, I see…" Lady Macrophage's smile wilted into a frown. "I guess it couldn't be helped then."

"Yeah, sorry," NK let out a nervous laugh as she thanked the heavens for letting her avoid a fate worse than death. There were just some things in her life not worth revisiting or, heaven forbid, reenacted.

However, the thought of seeing her former teacher disappointed made her stomach churned, and she had this urge to say something more. "Uh, maybe after we finish dealing with this crisis we could meet up again?"

Almost like a switch, Lady Macrophage's face lit up.

"I would love that, NK-chan." Her teacher beamed.

"Eh?" NK froze. A cold chill ran down her back as she suddenly realized what she'd just done. "Ehh?!"

"Then I'll call you again after the dust settles, alright?"

"Well, uh milady, what I meant to say was-"

The door on the other end of the room burst open, and a cell in a dark business suit walked in followed by a train of cells wearing heavy black cloaks.

The room immediately went completely silent.

All immune cells in the room straightened up as they waited for the other group to settle down. The cell in a business suit remained standing while the ten cloaked cells stepped on an elevated platform where a long table and a row of seats were already prepared for them.

The ancient ones have finally arrived.

* * *

 **A/N:**

Hello all, I was quite surprised to see so many people reading my story. Thank you so much to all for the surprising support!

As I said, I got this idea back when I got sick but rest assured, I didn't just make this story out of a whim.

I've already completed the outline of this story from start to finish so I already know the best way to write down the chapters.

Currently, Chapter 2 is also complete and I will be releasing it after a few days.

Cheers!

* * *

Revision History:

\- Originally published on Sept. 23, 2018

\- Made minor edits on Sept. 25, 2018


	3. Chapter 2: The Ancient Ones

**Chapter 2: The Ancient Ones**

NK gulped. The impulsive side of her wanted to make a snide remark at the newcomers, and see the glorious commotion it would create, but she quickly suppressed such a stupid impulse.

It would be funny, she admitted, but it would undoubtedly be the quickest way to get herself flushed into the urinary tract system.

Now was definitely not the time to make some offhanded joke about the oldest cells in the world.

Once the cloaked cells sat down on their high chairs, they immediately brushed off the hoods covering up their faces.

NK suddenly felt a sharp pain throbbing inside her head.

 _Urk… The hell is this?!_

She had to muster all her strength just to keep herself from dropping down to her knees to vomit.

She wanted to say that these ancient cells were so ugly and worn out that it was making her head hurt, but obviously, it was something else.

The neuron cells in front of her had intricate wires and synapses attached to their heads, and almost all wore some sort of mask that either had some type of breathing apparatus or optical implants or both.

NK felt sick, but she also realized the other members of her group also felt the same malady in their heads.

As if sensing the unease she and her group were enduring, the cell in a business suit muttered something to the seated neurons who then wore back their hoods.

Almost immediately, NK felt the crushing pain in her head disappear as if she didn't just experience hot needles being jammed into her skull.

"Apologies that you have to endure such inconvenience," the cell wearing a business suit apologized. "You must understand, my colleagues here normally do not leave their sanctums in the brain's great lobes and thus forget to realize that other cells could not handle the electrical pulses they emit."

Like the seated neuron cells, the cell wearing a business suit also sported wires attached to his head which he had woven into a long ponytail.

"In any case, welcome, welcome, dear lymphocytes and phagocytes, to the Hypothalamus," he raised his arms forward in greeting. "I'm Neurosecretory cell, director of the Hypothalamus, and these colleagues behind me are representatives from the Council of Neurons."

Despite the pain they endured from the electrical pulses emitted by the ancient ones, they still showed their respect to them as they all bowed in reverence.

In this world populated by trillions of cells, the neurons in the brain were always considered the most important, the most prioritized, and the most ancient of cells. It was said that they've existed since the beginning of time and that their existences were far more valuable and important than all the cells in the world combined.

Aloof and distant, they always kept their business with themselves, meditating inside the great lobes of the brain so as to conjure and maintain a mysterious phenomenon that controls the world called the _Consciousness_.

Neurosecretory bowed his head in response, but the seated neurons remained unmoving.

"Please, let's skip with the individual introductions and immediately discuss the matter at hand namely, a report about a world-ending threat correct?"

"Yes sir," Helper T concurred. NK turned to look at her commander who took a step forward to differentiate him from the rest of the immune cells. "I was the one who called for this meeting and, actually, we also have a request."

"Hmm," Neurosecretory crossed his arms. "Well please proceed commander."

Helper T took in a deep breath before continuing. "We are dealing with an unknown enemy that kills immune cells but then vanishes off without a trace. The first reports of such attacks occurred some four days ago and we've been receiving distress calls from everywhere in the world after that."

"I see. Then are you suggesting, commander, that the vitamin supplements we're importing are still not enough?"

"They are not for combating this type of infection sir," Helper T corrected. "We've sent out squad after squad of Killer T cells to investigate these killings, but so far, we've yet to find even a whisper of the name of the culprit."

"A whisper of the name he says…" One of the cloaked neurons repeated, his voice sounded distorted and artificial. "Are you admitting to us you that cannot do your job cell commander?"

Helper T shook his head vigorously.

"N-No milord," He stammered. "W-We're doing what we can, but I believe it would be best if we could ask for your support."

"And what would that be?" Neurosecretory raised an eyebrow.

"Firstly, to increase the temperature to fever levels," Helper T placed a hand on his glasses to straightened it up. "And secondly, to suggest to the _Consciousness_ to stir the world into this place I heard called a _hospital_ and seek additional support."

"A HOSPITAL?!" one of the cloaked neurons jumped out of his seat as he shouted, his voice high-pitched and distorted. "You cheeky little bastard, do you even know what a hospital is?!"

"I uh," sweat started to pour on the sides of Helper T's face. "I saw it on one of the dream broadcasts, and they heal up worlds do they not?"

The sudden outburst of the neuron only made the tension in the air thick and suffocating. The cloaked neurons started to discuss in hush tones with themselves as the immune cells all stood in absolute silence.

NK watched at the council members, and she could see it in their behavior their confusion over the matter. Truth be told, Helper T had first discussed his plan with her and the other immune cells before they decided to come here into the hypothalamus to petition the ancient council. NK had also seen this place called a _hospital_ on one of the dreams being broadcast when the world went into REM sleep. She didn't have any idea what the world outside their world looks like, but from what she saw, this _hospital_ could definitely help them in saving their world from total destruction.

"They do," the neuron who jumped up confirmed. "But why would you even suggest such a thing? Have you already thrown your tendrils up the air in defeat?"

"We are just preparing for the worst milord," Helper T replied. "This might be a battle we cannot win without outside help."

"And why would you say that?" the neuron pressed on. "For all we know, this threat could be nothing more than an overcharged flu that a pint full of lemonade could easily eradicate."

"It is true we haven't yet found out the culprit, but we've proof of the destruction it had already done."

Helper T turned his head to signal at Dendritic cell who immediately walked toward the seated council.

"My lords," Dendritic made a nervous smile as he took out a bundle of pictures from his side bag. "Please take some time to study these photos to get a better idea of the threat we are currently facing."

Dendritic proceeded to distribute the pictures to each cloaked neuron. The council members then studied each individual photo before swapping them with their seatmate.

The rest of the cells in the room stood silently to give the ancient neurons some time to think.

Finally, after what felt like a minute or two, a neuron sitting on the rightmost chair stood up and then banged his fists on the table, shocking everyone back into attention.

"I've warned you imbeciles not to go on that trip!" he shrieked at his peers as his voice-modulator cracked with static. Even covered by his cloak, it was clear for everyone to see he was shaking. "I've warned you not to go overseas!"

"Oh just sit down, will you? You're just paranoid!" another neuron countered. "This is clearly nothing, but a flu infection and the immune cells here are just a bunch of useless pieces of walking glucose making stuff up."

NK gritted her teeth. It took all her strength to restrain herself from lunging toward that effing neuron and beat some senses in his effing nucleus. Who was he calling useless pieces of walking glucose?

"Are you shitting me?!" the frantic neuron exclaimed. "All these pictures are of dead immune cells! These are not just some ordinary cells getting killed, but cells from the immune system! This is not a coincidence. Have you morons not seen that Kurzgesagt video in Youtube?!"

Every one of his fellow neurons shook their heads as they let out a collective 'oh-here-we-go-again' sigh.

"For the umpteenth time, this is not Ebola!" another of his colleague stood up. "We've not been into Africa, and we've not eaten bush meat!"

"We could have met someone that did!" the frantic neuron screamed, now throwing the photos up in the air. "The _Consciousness_ should be warned of an impending Ebola infection before it's too late!"

"Ok I've had enough with you, this is not Ebola!" one of the neurons rolled up his sleeves, and then body slammed the frantic neuron down to the ground. The other members of the council immediately moved to restrain the two.

"Unhand me you louse! You will not silence me from informing the _Consciousness_!"

NK watched the whole commotion with both surprise and horror.

 _What the hell are they doing?_

One thing they were discussing silently with themselves and now two of them were on each other's throat. She tried to make sense of it all but realized she absolutely had no clue on what they were all talking about.

 _Kurzgewhat? Youtube? Ebola?_

None of these words made any sense to her, but her impression of the ancient neurons as high and benevolent cells had now completely gone down the drain.

There was actually nothing special about them, and they act exactly like any cell in the world that have metal sticks stuck up their behinds.

 _They're just… They're just a bunch of idiots…_ She shook her head in disbelief.

"I'm terribly sorry that you have to witness this uncivilized behavior from my colleagues," Neurosecretory apologized as he strode toward Helper T. "The council will definitely deliberate on your proposal, I assure you of that… Just give them some time… They're all under a significant amount of stress."

"Err, t-thank you," Helper T responded unsurely. "Um as I said, with outside help, we could definitely track down and defeat this threat."

"I'm sure you can," Neurosecretory replied. "Now, for your first request, I can handle raising the world's temperature to fever levels. Could you please hand over a pyrogen for code activation?"

Helper T nodded again and then turned to look at Lady Macrophage who in turn took out a metallic cylinder from her pocket with the label 'pyrogen.'

"I believe this would suffice to your liking Neurosecretory-sama?" Lady Macrophage chirped as she handed him over the pyrogen cylinder.

"Why yes, it will, milady," Neurosecretory smiled back as he took the cylinder from Lady Macrophage's hand.

"Um sir," Helper T started. "Would the council still want to hear more of our report? I have members from my elite hit squads to give their re-"

"Who are you calling neurotic?!"

"You ARE neurotic you dumbass!"

"Would you all please shut up?!"

"Fight! Fight! Fight!"

On the other side of the room, the commotion had suddenly turned into a brawl with neurons now fighting with each other instead of just breaking a fight between two of their members.

"Would that answer your question, commander?" Neurosecretory asked drily.

"Yeah, it kind of," Helper T admitted, his lips now forming into a straight line.

"Then this meeting is adjourned," Neurosecretory turned to walk back toward his neuron colleagues. "I need to sort them out first. You may now leave. Thank you."

Like clockwork, the immune cells then formed a line toward the exit door.

NK let out a sigh as she tried to restrain herself from showing her disappointment and rage.

Her time had been entirely wasted on this stupid meeting. True, she understood the reasoning behind Helper T's request for senior immune cells to accompany him in this meeting as a show of unity, but the neurons just barely acknowledged their presence in the room before turning on against themselves.

"What a total waste of time," she groused through seethed teeth.

As she was about to exit the room, she stopped and turned toward the neurons dogpiling on each other.

"You're a bunch of neurotic old farts!" She hollered before skidding out of the room.

* * *

 **A/N** :

In keeping up with the Warhammer 40k reference to this story, I decided to cast the neuron cells as a bunch of deranged 'psykers' instead of a bunch of old politicians as depicted by the anime in episode 12. (those politicians are the neuron cells right?)

Anyways, for those who didn't understand that talk about the 'Consciousness', basically, I'm exploring a concept in the 'Philosophy of the Mind' called 'Emergence'. Emergence is a concept that says our consciousness is a product of a group of units (neuron cells) communicating with each other in order to form 'thoughts' and 'awareness'. Just think of 'Consciousness' as YOU (the one reading this now) and YOU are being generated by neuron cells in the brain talking and linking with each other. It's really weird but I invite everyone to search for some great videos about the topic on Youtube.

Chapter 3 is also complete so I will release it as well a couple of days from now.

* * *

Revision History:

\- Originally published on Sept. 25, 2018


	4. Chapter 3: Heroes and Villains

**Chapter 3: Heroes and Villains**

"Useless old shits!"

NK smashed her fist on a wall, instantly pulverizing a portion of it on impact.

She was currently taking a quick break on one of the cervical lymph nodes found in the neck. After exiting out from the hypothalamus, the other immune cells went out to their separate ways. Helper T and Regulatory cell went back to the Thymus headquarters, while Lady Macrophage returned to the bone marrow. She didn't know where Dendritic cell was going, and frankly, she didn't care about him at all.

Her shoulders rose and fell as she heaved lungfuls of breath to calm herself.

So much of her precious time wasted, and the worse part of it was that they were insulted and even taken for granted. Were these old windbags really benevolent cells or just plain senile?

"Here drink this." A deep masculine voice offered from behind her.

She glanced to her right and saw a cold can of coffee being dangled near her face.

"Thanks."

She took the coffee can from KT's hand and then proceeded to open the lid with her thumb.

"Told you they have giant metal sticks stuck up their behinds," KT grinned.

"What the hell was their problem?" NK groused before placing the lid of the can on her lips to take a quick sip. "I mean, did you get what they were even saying?"

"Not a damn clue," he muttered.

"Yeah, me neither," she concurred. "They always teach us in the academy that the neurons were some wise ancient beings and that we all need to serve them, but they all just turned out to be a bunch of crazy old cells."

She took a longer sip from her coffee.

"I guess getting locked up in the brain and doing nothing but communicate with the _Consciousness_ could end you up all insane."

"Mmm," she grunted an affirmative.

She didn't understand anything about how the cells in the brain work, but from what she'd heard, the old farts all gather up inside the great lobes of the brain to meditate in order to form a link with the _Consciousness_ that rules over their world.

"Whatever the _Consciousness_ is, I hope it could help us with this war," KT sighed as he stared blankly toward the far side of the corridor.

NK's expression perked up. She pursed her lips as a sudden realization dawned on her. "Hey, big guy, you look kind of… down?"

KT give him a quizzical expression as if she just said something idiotic. "Uh, what?"

"Nevermind," she drank another sip from her coffee. "For a moment, I thought you were depressed about this enemy we haven't yet figure out."

"I'm not depressed," KT crossed his arms defensively. "I'm just sort of tired and wary is all…"

NK's lips formed a wide grin. She placed her can on a table as she leaned closer toward him.

"I didn't know brutes like you get tired," she chuckled. "You lot always have an endless source of energy."

"Well I am tired," his muscled companion admitted. "Waiting for an enemy that doesn't even shows its face is tiring. I just want it to just show itself up so I can rip its insides out with my bare hands."

For a moment, NK didn't respond. She just stared at the squad leader's face. He had blond curly hair, a sturdy nose, and a well-off chiseled chin. A barely visible scar ran down his left cheek though she suspected that in time, it would be healed completely.

His deep-set eyes were of the color of darkness which gave him a sort of feral look. She wondered how many antigens have perished with the last sight they have of this world were those pairs of menacing black orbs. Would there also come a time that the last thing she'd ever see would be those same eyes staring down on her? If they were enemies, who would actually win in a fight?

"W-What?" KT took a step back, clearly feeling uncomfortable with NK so close to him. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Nothing," she smiled. "I suddenly got an interest to look at your face. Is that a crime?"

KT's cheeks blushed and immediately averted his gaze from her. "Hah? That's just… That's just stupid!"

NK laughed and then proceeded to smack him on his back. "Oh just cheer up you big bloke! Don't forget I'm Natural Killer… I'll lay waste to all our enemies, so you don't have to."

KT opened his mouth to argue, but then she placed a finger over his lips.

Her expression suddenly became serious. The grin on her face had turned into a straight line as she gave him a more sober look.

"I promise you, I will not allow this world to end," she swore as she stared directly into his eyes. "By my oath as a hunter, I will not rest until all my enemies are dead and my boots are stomping over their carcasses."

She then took a step back before picking up her coffee can.

"Alright, thanks for the coffee," She said as she started to walk toward the exit. "I'm off for my patrol."

"Wait… NK."

NK paused and turned to look at her muscled colleague. "Yeah?"

KT hesitated for a bit before balling up his hands into tight fists to steady himself. "You take care of yourself now, you hear? Don't try to be such a damn hero all by yourself."

Her lips widened again into a smirk before continuing to walk toward the exit. "I'm no hero, big boy… I'm a hunter. Huge difference."

-0-0-0-

Dendritic cell had finally returned to his tree headquarters only to find an unexpected visitor.

In front of him, sitting on a chair inside the dining room, sat an elegant maid, wearing a large bonnet, and sipping a cup of his home-made tea.

"Ah, welcome back Dendritic-dono," the elegant maid nodded in greeting. "My apologies, but I took the liberty of helping myself to some of your fine earl grey tea while I waited for your inevitable return. I'm sure you won't mind, yes?"

"Why not at all," Dendritic faked a smile as he bowed in response. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this unexpected visit, Em-sama?"

The sitting macrophage's lips pursed into an enigmatic smile.

"Tis' nothing but a friendly chat," she assured him. "It wouldn't take too much of your time."

"I'm sure it wouldn't," he chuckled. Then he narrowed his eyes as he added. "Even if it is already in the middle of the night."

Though outwardly he showed a reserve and cordial expression, inwardly, alarm bells were already going off in his head. Every molecule in him screamed of impending danger.

Em-sama was the second highest ranking macrophage next only to Lady Macrophage. Like all of her breed, she possessed a radiant beauty without comparison and a ferocity in battle only outdone by her master. A warrior without peer, a maid supreme. She thirsts for glory, and her ambitions know no bounds.

She was the legendary Lady Em…

And she was declared missing four days ago.

 _Move._ An inner voice in his head pleaded with him. _This is not normal. Move now and don't look back…_

Along with her squad, they were all last sighted to have been patrolling the left foot from invaders when all communications with them were suddenly cut-off. Attempts to find them proved to be futile and deadly. Killer T squads who were dispatched to find them all turned up missing, mauled, or dead.

And yet, here she was, casually drinking his home-made tea, unannounced and unexpected as if nothing had happened to her at all.

Something, something was definitely amiss.

"Though I must confess," he pressed on. "I wasn't expecting such a company at this late hour considering the reports that you and your squad were lost and presumed dead."

The elegant maid in front of him continued to smile and stare at him. "Why don't you have a seat with me and we could discuss this pressing matter with a cup of midnight tea?"

"I would love that milady," he nodded at the offer. "However, it would seem that my presence is needed elsewhere."

He let out a forceful laugh. "A thousand apologies, but I am urgently needed in the Thymus headquarters."

Without waiting for a reply, he turned away from his unexpected guest to exit from his tree house when suddenly two macrophages appeared in front of him to block his path.

He paused, a drop sweat rolled down his face. He started to straighten his tie as he cleared his throat. "Ladies, please. I am in a hurry. I need you to-"

"There is no need to rush," a voice from behind him cooed.

Before he could react, he felt something sharp and metallic bursting out from his innards, spewing out chunks of cytoplasm and crimson cytosol.

Sharp pain streamed into his nucleus and his mouth contorted into a silent scream. His legs buckled before dropping down to his knees as his mind started to fade away.

"It will be over soon Dendritic-dono," Em whispered in his ear. She tugged on the knife she used to stab him before taking it out with one pull. "And then later, you will be reborn."

His vision began to blur as tears streamed down from his eyes.

This was it.

This was how he would die.

The last vision he saw was Em-sama opening her mouth unnaturally wide and out came a hideous dark creature with spindly legs.

 _Consciousness, help us all…_ He muttered before everything in the world turned to black.

* * *

 **A/N:**

In my outline, NK is supposed to be a big tsundere. However, as I was writing this chapter, it turned out to be the actual opposite. Tsundere KT also kinda works I guess. XD

* * *

Revision History:

\- Originally published on Sept. 27, 2018


	5. Chapter 4: A Teamless Little Leader

**Chapter 4: A Teamless Little Leader**

 **Day 6**

The world was burning.

Still, no raging fires though, but it had been two days since the hypothalamus raised the temperature a couple of degrees higher to fever levels. This was, according to official reports, a necessary measure to weaken those who seek to do harm to the world. Immune cell patrols have doubled, and a lockdown had been in place on all major organs. No one comes in or out without getting inspected.

AE3803, or RBC-san, as her White Blood Cell friend calls her, had been walking for hours under scorching temperatures and was still nowhere near her destination. From the note in her hand, she was supposed to deliver a package of oxygen to the gallbladder, but alas, the path to said organ still eludes her.

"Hot, so hot…" she moaned. Her black shirt, red jacket, and shorts were all covered with sweat as she pushed herself to keep on walking toward the exit of the blood vessel tunnel she was currently inside. "Water… Need… Water…"

The lights on the tunnel flickered, and she suddenly felt a faint tremor shaking the ground. It happened for a couple of seconds before the shaking subsided.

It had been like this for the past few days. She could feel that something wrong was happening in their world, but nobody actually knows what it was. She could see that everyone also felt the same way, but no one even dared to speak of it. Her fellow Red Blood Cells still roamed around the circulatory system doing their duties, but their enthusiasm and usual fervor for work had all but disappeared.

The world had descended into a miasma of lethargy, and nobody knows exactly why.

AE3803 forced herself to move her legs one step at a time until finally, she had exited the blood vessel tunnel, arriving into an open plaza adjacent to a major organ building.

"Finally..." she panted, taking in deep breaths. "I've arrived in the… Oh no, not again..."

Her expression turned into horror as she saw the big sign above the entrance of the major organ that says in giant-neon letters, 'Liver.'

"Arrghh! This is the liver, not the gallbladder!"

Unable to endure the heat and exhaustion, she dropped her package of oxygen down as she hunched over to catch her breath.

"Senpai..." she mewled as tears started to form in her eyes. "Why am I such an idiot?"

It had always been like this. Even after months of being mentored by her senpai, she still gets lost on a regular basis. Even when she got a kouhai to look after, she still ended up depending on her junior rather than the other way around.

"I'm such... " she sniffed. "I'm such a fail-"

Then her expression perked up. Something in the corner of her eye had caught her attention.

She turned her head to her right and saw squatting on the side of the tunnel entrance was a little Platelet with long caramel-blonde hair sobbing silently with the occasional hiccups.

 _Platelet-chan?_

AE3803's brows furrowed with confusion. She actually knew the little platelet as they both keep on bumping with each other. Usually, she was with other platelets leading them as their designated leader. However, today she was all alone with no sign of her team.

AE3803 turned around looking at her fellow red blood cells if they've taken notice on the lone crying platelet, but everyone seemed to be too busy or just couldn't be bothered to help her.

The little platelet had her knees and hands covering her face, and her over-sized teal shirt was covered with a lot of dirt and grime.

Finally, unable to resist her big-sister instincts, AE3803 walked toward the platelet and knelt in front of her.

"Hey, Platelet-chan," she muttered softly. "Is there something wrong?"

The little platelet sniffed a couple of times before raising her head to look at the one who approached her. "RBC-onee-chan?"

"Yep, it's me," AE3803 placed a hand above her cap. "What's up?"

Platelet-chan opened her mouth to speak, but only tiny sobs and inaudible mumbling could be heard from her.

AE3803 started patting her on the head.

"There, there," she cooed. "Take your time, I'm here to listen."

Platelet-chan tried to sniff herself out from sobbing until she took a deep breath to finally calm herself down.

"RBC-onee-chan," she mumbled, her voice still at the edge of crying. "I… I couldn't f-find my… I couldn't find my t-team…"

AE3803 tilted her head as she waited for the little platelet to continue.

"I tried looking for my team, but they're… They're gone… They're all gone…"

Fresh tears flowed from the little platelet's eyes and AE3803 instinctively hugged her closer.

"Ok, ok, don't cry now, it's alright... " AE3803 started to assure her. "Your team is fine… I'm sure they're just somewhere, maybe in the armpit regions cooling off?"

"The armpits are really hot right now," Platelet-chan muttered. "Bec-because of the f-fever…"

"Eh?" AE3803 blinked a couple of times before realizing the terrible truth that a little platelet just corrected her. "I-Is that so?"

"I don't know…" Platelet-chan croaked as she started to heave to cry some more. "I..."

And then fresh tears started to burst out once again.

"Ah…" AE3803 frantically tried to look at her surroundings if anyone would help her, but nobody even seemed to notice them at all.

"Ok, ok!" she took out her handkerchief and started to wipe the tears from the little platelet's eyes. "Onee-chan here will help you find your team in no time!"

Platelet-chan hiccuped then raised her head to look directly at AE3803's eyes. "R-Really?"

"Uh, well," AE3803 forced a smile. "I still have a delivery to the gallbladder, but after that, we can look for your team! Would that be alright with you?"

"But onee-chan," Platelet-chan rubbed her nose with the handkerchief. "You are always getting lost. Are you sure we could find my team?"

 _Oof!_

Innocent though her observation may be, the little platelet's words carried the same force as a direct hammer blow to AE3803's guts.

"Ouch," AE3803's forced out a chuckle. "Ehehehe, d-don't worry, Platelet-chan, I'm feeling lucky today, we will definitely find your team!"

A lie. If anything, today was as bad as any of her days, but she still needed to act as a big sister in front of the little platelet. If anything, this should be an opportunity for her to prove herself as a competent and mature red blood cell.

"Um, Platelet-chan, do you know whe-ahhhh!"

Without warning, AE3803 heard a loud crashing sound from behind which jolted her back to her feet, swooping the little platelet in her arms.

Raw instincts immediately kicked in, and she was about to run away from whatever caused the sudden noise behind her when she felt a firm hand touching her on the shoulder.

"Ahhh!" AE3803 screamed. "Please don't kill me! I don't have oxygen!"

"RBC-san? Is that you?"

"Eh?" AE3803 turned to look back at the one addressing her and saw a neutrophil in his usual grey military fatigues. "WBC-san? You're… Y-You're here!"

WBC, or U1146, heaved to catch his breath as sweat dripped down his face. The rise in temperature had made the ventilation shafts he used as shortcuts too hot and airless for him to normally traverse. Still, after a couple of seconds, he straightened up before brushing off the dust from his cap and ruffled silver hair.

"RBC-san, it's nice to see you again," U1146 began. "It seems we always keep on bumping with each other."

"Ahehehe, yeah, it's always like this." AE3803 chuckled. "So uh, what's up?"

"Oh ah…" U1146 started scratching the back of his head. "Well, I was-"

Then he realized the little platelet AE3803 was carrying on her arms. The platelet had her arms wrapped on the red blood cell's neck as she turned her head to look at him, her eyes wide and watery, a clear sign of her crying.

"Platelet-chan?"

"WBC-onii-chan," the little platelet bowed her head in greetings. "Hello there."

"Ah!" AE3803's face brightened up as she just realized something. "Um, WBC-san, by any chance, have you seen Platelet-chan's team? She seems to have been separated from them."

"Separated?" U1146 bunched up his brows in recollection. "Hmm… Now that you mentioned it, I haven't seen any platelets other than Platelet-chan here."

"Oh," Platelet-chan's expression wilted as she lowered her head in grief. "I haven't seen any of my comrades for days now as well."

U1146 stared at the little platelet for a couple of seconds before shaking her head. "I'm really sorry that I couldn't be of any help."

"Uh no it's fine," AE3803 smiled at him faintly. "I'll accompany Platelet-chan in finding her team after I make my delivery."

U1146 raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure RBC-san? Maybe you'll just end up getting lo-"

He stopped before he could finish his sentence as he saw AE3803 pouting her face in anger.

"Right." He nodded.

"So uh, WBC-san, are y-you going somewhere?" AE3803 blurted out.

U1146 suddenly turned serious. He looked around for several seconds before leaning closer to her and Platelet-chan.

"Yeah," he whispered. "Actually, I'm not supposed to tell you this, but we got an anonymous tip that something bad is about to happen here in the liver."

"Oh really?" AE3803's eyes widened. "You're saying that something ba-"

"Shhh!" U1146 immediately placed a finger in front of his mouth as he hissed. "Not too loud!"

"Sorry!" she whispered back.

"Listen," this time, he placed a hand on AE3803's shoulder while placing his other hand on Platelet-chan's head as he tried to assure the two. "If you two must go, please, just prepare yourself for anything. The moment you see something wrong happening, run… Just run away, ok?"

AE3803 opened her mouth to respond but immediately closed it. Her face grimaced into a look of concern as realization dawned on her. "WBC-san, are we…" she paused for a couple of seconds before continuing. "Are we under attack?"

"I don't know," U1146 admitted. "Everything is just so messed up right now, but still, we have to remain vigilant."

"Understood." AE3803 nodded. She then tightened her grip on the little platelet. "I'll protect Platelet-chan with my life."

"WBC-onii-chan, RBC-onee-chan..."

Both matured cells looked at the little platelet.

"Yes, Platelet-chan?" AE3803 asked.

Platelet-chan then pointed her hand toward the entrance of the liver organ. "What are they doing there?"

AE3803 and U1146 turned to where the little platelet was pointing and saw two factions of immune cells facing each other.

"Are those... " AE3803 narrowed her eyes to focus on the two groups. "Macrophages and Killer T Cells?"

U1146 didn't respond. His receptors were going haywire, but there was no sign of any enemy.

"I… I better go," he said to the two as he adjusted his cap. "Something is definitely wrong… I better go to them to check what's really going on."

U1146 started to walk toward the two immune cell groups when he felt a tug on his sleeves.

"WBC-san," AE3803 started. She looked torn and apprehensive. "Please… Promise me, to be safe ok?"

U1146's mouth fell half-opened. Something in her words made him feel fuzzy inside, and his face suddenly felt warm.

"I promise," he gave AE3803 an assuring smile as he also patted Platelet-chan's head. "I can handle myself. And you two, please remain safe y'hear?"

"We will!" AE3803 and Platelet-chan both nodded in the affirmative.

Satisfied, he closed his eyes and bowed as if in deep thought. "Consciousness, help us all."

* * *

 **A/N:**

Take note, the armpits (axillary) are actually cooler when compared to the temperatures taken via the mouth (oral) or ear (tympanic). As such, AE3803 is actually correct when she said the armpits are cooler. However, it still doesn't mean she knows how to get to the armpits without getting lost though lol!

Anywho, we finally get to see U1146 and AE3803 together along with Platelet-chan. I love writing these three characters together since it's like writing a story of a small family. Also, I really hate that I can't post images here in ff because I've seen a picture of the three cells together with AE and U kissing each other with platelet-chan sitting between them but her eyes are being covered by their hands. So cute and adorable!

So yeah. The next chapter will be released maybe before October 5. I'm still going to write it and it's actually a very important chapter (for reasons I'll explain later) and so it might take a longer time to check and double check after the first draft.

* * *

 **Author Musings (You can skip this part):**

So previously, I mentioned that I wrote an outline of the story from start to finish before writing down the first chapters. I'm actually a Story Structure Nerd which means, I love and prefer writing stories with a clear and definite outline instead of writing on the fly. For years I tried writing like the latter, but it was only when I started writing with a clear outline that I started getting results.

As such, for anyone interested in writing with an outline, allow me to share here the outline I made for this chapter. Please take note the major changes from the planned outline to the actual writing. For example, in the outline, WBC was supposed to be jogging his way toward the liver when RBC and Platelet-chan called out his attention.

For anyone interested to know more about how to Outline stories, you can just give me a PM. XD

Anyways, here's the original outline for this chapter:

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

1 - Red Blood Cell was walking down a blood vessel near the liver looking perplexed. Apparently, she had gotten herself lost again and was now trying to find her way toward the kidneys to deliver her package.

2 - On the way, she sees Platelet-chan sitting on a corner crying.

3 - Curious, she approached Platelet-chan to ask her reasons for crying.

4 - Platelet-chan explains to her that she had been looking for the other members of her division but she'd not found any one of them.

5 - Red Blood Cell then comforts her saying that she'd help her look for her team.

6 - Platelet-chan thanks her but then tells her that she would only end up getting lost again. Red Blood Cell felt like someone just punched her directly on the gut.

7 - Suddenly, they see White Blood Cell jogging toward them. They wave their hands to call him out.

8 - White Blood Cell sees them and then approached them. His face looked paler and whiter than usual. He tells them something strange was going on in the body. His receptors were going haywire and that he was getting a distress call near the liver.

9 - Red Blood Cell and Platelet-chan exchanged looks of confusion. Finally, Platelet-chan tells him that she saw a number of Macrophages and T Cells gathering at the entrance of the liver. She further states that it looks like there's a confrontation between the two factions.

10 - White Blood Cells thinks that to be very strange and that he had never heard any bad blood going between the T Cells and the Macrophages. He then tells the two to stay where they are as he tries to investigate the ongoing incident.

* * *

Revision History:

\- Originally published on Sept. 30, 2018


	6. Chapter 5: The First Plot Point

**Chapter 5: The First Plot Point**

U1146 strode toward the back row of the battalion-sized Killer T Cell formation. The KT battalion, about five hundred cells strong, have established a checkpoint outside of the entrance of the liver, erecting barricades to slow down any potential threats. To emphasize the seriousness of the situation, all KT cells now wore special black riot armor and helmets instead of their usual military uniform and caps. They've also brought heavy riot shields, and short swords called a gladius instead of their usual arsenal of daggers and brass knuckles.

Opposing the KT cells stood fifty or so macrophages clad in heavy grey cloaks as well as hiding their faces with hoods. U1146 have never seen macrophages concealing themselves like these, though occasionally, they do wear monocyte armor when they patrol inside the blood vessels. Still, he found it unusual for them to wear such getups when the whole world was burning with high fever.

"Hey bud," U1146 finally approached a KT cell standing on the last row corner of the formation. "What's going on here?"

The KT cell, who wore a full-plated helmet, turned his head to look at him. He didn't immediately respond, but instead studied him for a couple of seconds.

U1146 raised his hands to his side, showing his opened palms, indicating he was not holding any weapons.

"Potential trouble," the helmeted KT cell finally revealed.

"Trouble?" U1146 raised an eyebrow. "They are macrophages. Why would they be any trouble?"

"They won't be if they didn't insist on getting inside the liver,"

"Why would they want to get inside?" U1146 asked.

The helmeted KT cell shrugged. "Beats me. All major organs are in strict lockdown. All cells going in and out must subject themselves for inspection."

He then pointed his gladius at him. "In fact, you'd also be considered as trouble if you suddenly tell me that you have some business inside the liver."

"Maybe, but I'm not sure," U1146 admitted though he kept his arms raised at his side. "I got a tip that something bad was about to happen here, and my receptors are picking odd signals in this section, but I've yet to see any enemy."

The helmeted KT cell sheathed his sword back on his scabbard before placing a hand on his chin. "Hmm… Sorry bud, I can't help you with that. You should go and explain that to the battalion commander."

"I guess I would then," U1146 shifted his gaze toward the front of the formation. From his vantage point, he could only see the head of the KT commander amidst the sea of KT cells standing at attention. The KT commander seemed to be busy talking to the leader of the cloaked macrophages.

U1146 tiptoed to get a better view of the front. Then he saw her, and his eyes went wide.

"Wait, is that Lady Em?" he asked.

In contrast to her subordinates, the leader of the macrophage didn't wear a hood or a cloak but instead donned a large bonnet hat that looked more appropriate for an evening stroll rather than a headgear for battle.

"Aye," the helmeted KT cell concurred. "And she's with her whole entourage."

U1146's face twisted into confusion as he slowly shook his head.

 _That, that can't be right…_ He thought. _Lady Em was supposed to be…_

The disappearance of Lady Em and her entourage had only been disseminated to a selected few, and it just so happened that he was one of those given access to such a piece of information.

Though he never got sent out to search for them, he did receive an order, that got rescinded later, to do just that after they went missing for several days. He also heard those that were indeed sent out to find them ended up either missing or dead.

U1146 took in a deep breath. Nothing made sense anymore. First, he got an anonymous tip of trouble brewing in the liver, second, his receptors were going haywire all day long, and now, a missing unit of macrophages had suddenly appeared out of nowhere and demanding entrance to the liver.

"Something's not right out here," U1146 wondered out loud.

"I couldn't agree more," the helmeted KT cell responded dryly. "Just stay sharp and expect the worst."

U1146 nodded but didn't say anything.

-0-0-0-

The five-hundred versus the fifty.

Lady Em watched with glee at the Killer T cells all lined up into a formation fifty rows in length and ten columns deep. A formidable force, she admits, but one that her entourage of fifty macrophages could definitely handle. While the Killer T cells all donned the proper gears for war, her subordinates instead wore heavy dark cloaks and hoods to conceal their usual maid outfits.

As for her, she wore no coverings to hide her immaculately white maid uniform and bonnet hat.

"Milady, are you even listening to me?"

Lady Em shifted her gaze from looking at the KT battalion to looking at the battalion commander standing directly in front of her.

The burly KT battalion commander loomed over her, but she stood her ground, composed and unintimidated. Their height difference meant nothing to her, and it instead reinforced her image as a cell who could even have a staring match with a veteran Killer T cell without blinking.

"My dear commander," Lady Em started, completely ignoring whatever he was talking about. "I assure you, my presence here in the li-"

"And as I said, milady," the KT commander interrupted before she could finish her sentence. "I have orders from HQ to have the liver in lockdown, and that means I can't let you and your group enter the organ without inspection."

"And rightfully so," Lady Em concurred. The enigmatic smile that had become her trademark trait started to creep on her lips. "After all, we do not want enemies who seek nothing but our complete and total annihilation to unleash havoc on an organ as important as the liver. "

"Right." the KT commander nodded curtly. "So if you understand, then you mu-"

"But I would like for you, dear commander, to make an exception for us," this time, Lady Em's voice turned low but firm. "Our objectives are confidential, and we cannot disclose it to anyone, but I assure you it came directly from Dendritic-dono."

"And I'm telling you we are trying to contact that bloke, but he is currently unreachable." the burly commander responded.

"That is a shame, but not a reason to hinder us." Lady Em immediately countered. "That does not change our mission. Give us passage, commander, our presence is most definitely needed inside the liver."

The KT commander didn't respond. He continued his stare-down with her not even budging an inch to her request.

Finally, a couple of seconds later, he narrowed his eyes as he took a step closer toward the macrophage leader to the point where his forehead almost touched the tip of her bonnet hat.

"You were missing not too long ago," he muttered in a low voice, almost like a growl. It was not a question. "And suddenly, you and your handmaidens appear out of nowhere to demand entrance as if nothing has happened at all."

"If you would prefer to have that narrative slant, then yes, I'm afraid you are correct." Lady Em conceded.

"Then you must understand why I'm apprehensive milady," he explained with just a tiny hint of irritation in his voice. "We have not gotten any heads-up about your mission, and with Dendritic unreachable, we cannot let you all in without subjecting you all to a thorough inspection. "

This time, it was Lady Em's turn to pause. She averted his eyes by looking down on the ground as if in deep thought.

For about a minute, the two leaders remained silent. Lady Em placed a hand on her mouth while she started nodding to herself while the KT commander waited unmoving, like a stone statue, for her to respond.

Finally, Lady Em raised her head to stare directly into his eyes. She raised her hand, and an attendant from behind started to walk toward her, carrying what looked like a pole completely wrapped in grey linen.

"Commander, you say you are unable to contact Dendritic-dono, correct?" she asked. At the same time, her attendant stood beside her, handing her the wrapped pole.

"That is correct," the KT commander replied curtly. "I need confirmation."

Lady Em's lips widened from ear to ear as an arousing chill ran all over her body.

"Oh worry not commander…" she mused, almost sounded aroused. "I can give Dendritic-dono's orders directly to your battalion, though I must regrettably inform you that you will unfortunately not be able to comprehend it."

The KT commander's visage twisted into confusion. "Um, I do not understand milady?"

This time, the leader of the macrophages could no longer control herself as she finally let out a chuckle that slowly warped into an eery cackle. "It's quite simple really… How would you be able to comprehend Dendritic-dono's orders when your head is no longer attached to your body?"

The KT commander's eyes widened as alarm bells inside his head screamed at him of impending danger. His right hand instinctively went to his side to pull out his sword from his scabbard while his feet already moved forward to engage with the macrophage leader. Lips parted as his mouth formed into a snarl.

Treachery had finally revealed its face and he would confront it without hesitation, without compromise, and without merc-

But before he could deliver his attack, Lady Em swung the wrapped pole in her hands and suddenly, heaven and earth swirled and he could now see his body tumbling forward without his head.

To his horror, he finally realized what happened to him, but unfortunately, it would be the last thing he would ever think before everything went to black.

* * *

 **A/N Musings (You can skip this part):**

And we have finally arrived in the _First Plot Point_. For those who are not familiar with this term, the First Plot Point of the story is sometimes called the 'Point of No Return' in which, after this point in the story, our main characters can no longer go back to their previous settings/lives. Everything before the First Plot Point is just building up the setup (Kudos to Rerorerorerorero for accurately commenting in Chapter 4 that it feels like a buildup to something). Indeed, as Rerorerorerorero has commented, everything before the First Plot Point feels like the first hours before a hurricane.

Also, the First Plot Point mostly happens in the 25th percentile mark of the story. You can definitely see this in movies. One good example is the Red/Blue Pill scene in Matrix 1 where Neo was given a choice by Morpheus to either take the Red Pill or the Blue Pill. This scene happens in the 30th-minute mark (25%) of the 2-hour long movie.

So using the number of words already written for this story so far, which is already around 10k, we could calculate the approximate size of the story as around 40k words.

However, based on the outline I've written, this chapter is not positioned in the 25th percentile mark but somewhere in the 20th percentile mark. This could mean that this story could go more than 50k words if all these estimates are correct.

I might be wrong in everything though considering this would be my 3rd attempt in writing a story here in FF . net, but let's just see.

I'm very excited about how this story will unfold. XD

I would also like to hear your thoughts on this in the Review Section. Thanks.

* * *

Revision History:

\- Originally published on Oct. 6, 2018


	7. Chapter 6: Betrayer

**Chapter 6: Betrayer**

The battalion sub-commander scrambled forward toward the archtraitor macrophage immediately after seeing his commander getting decapitated by her hands.

"Comrades! We are betrayed!" He roared as he unsheathed his gladius from his scabbard. "Kill them all!"

A hundred blades and a hundred throats answered his call as the rest of his battalion charged forward with swords and shields at hand.

Like an unstoppable upheaval of stomach acid, they clashed with the cloaked macrophages' line with a frenzied zeal and unbridled fury.

The traitorous maids responded with a blur of their own attack and counterattack as they unveiled together their unholy weapons of war for everyone to despair. Halberds, broadswords, maces, great-axes, and warhammers… They wielded these weapons of war with elegant mastery and finesse, and they battled the surging KT cells with an unnatural glee for carnage.

Screeching and crackling of blades echoed throughout the plaza, with the two battle lines quickly descending into a brutal fight that the world had never seen before.

-0-0-0-

The KT sub-commander clashed with Lady Em as he allowed his rage to fuel his attacks. A blade master by his own right, he fought the archtraitor with a flurry of thrusts and slashes of his sword, but she parried each blow with ease.

After decapitating the head of his commander, the linen wrap that covered her weapon fell off, revealing a large retractable scythe with an obsidian blade and an unholy name…

 _Plagueharvest._

He ducked a wide arching swing aimed for his head, immediately shifting his footing to deliver a hit trained directly at Lady Em's chest. The traitorous macrophage swerved to her right, barely evading his blade before quickly launching her own counterattack. Sword and scythe both shriek and clang each time their metallic edges kiss.

"You fight well, sub-commander," Lady Em giggled. She twirled _Plagueharvest_ as if it weighed no less than a stick. "Your commander will be proud of you."

"Talk is cheap, traitor!" He snarled as he lunged himself again towards her.

The macrophage leader responded with a high-pitched cackle.

-0-0-0-

The battle between the two immune cell factions would serve as a preview of the carnage that would yet unfold in other parts of the world.

Battle lines were drawn by the heaps of corpses of the first of the attacking KT cells piling up under the boots of the cloaked macrophages.

Bouts of deranged laughter could be heard coming out from the ranks of the battle maids, but their beefed-up muscled enemies responded with their own roars of rage. The macrophages held their ground, with each maid fighting three or more opponents at a time, swinging and pummeling their heavy melee weapons, and shattering shields, blades, and membranes in their wake.

The macrophages seemed to be invincible, but the KT cells were determined to prove to everyone that these traitors bleed. Retreat and cowardice did not exist in a KT cell's vocabulary, and those first to die did so fighting them with ruthless abandon.

"Death to traitors!" bellowed a KT cell before a battle maid cleaved him in half with her broadsword, his riot shield regrettably useless in stopping her onslaught, but barely useful enough to delay her recoil for a millisecond.

The infinitesimal delay cost the macrophage her life, the first to fall of her kind, as four KT cells descended upon her from all directions, and stabbing her repeatedly with their gladius swords.

The battle maid screamed with agony, but she still fought on, and even managing taking down two of her attackers before a sword to the eye silenced her, and the rest of her killers soon followed when one of her sworn sisters obliterated them with her warhammer.

"We are the maidens of death!" the macrophage wielding the massive hammer heckled. Her hood had fallen off from her head, revealing a sickly pale face, black lips, and ruby eyes… A far cry from her former dignified, elegant self. Her usual white cap had now been replaced with a horrifying beret with thorns and spikes protruding everywhere on its surface. "We are death incarnate!"

The nearby KT cells answered her with the clashing of their swords.

-0-0-0-

Explosions boomed and blossomed around the battlefield as the rearguard of the macrophage entourage began to split up from the fighting in order to wreak destruction at nearby blood vessels and cell walls with krak-grenades and melta-bombs. A few of the deranged maids even moved to conduct genocide by culling non-immune cells who have failed to flee from the fighting.

Screams of the dying filled out the air with the walkways of the streets and surrounding blood vessels running red from the spilled fluids of a thousand victims.

Neutrophils who waited in the sidelines observing the stand-off between the two immune cell factions now moved to confront the murderous macrophages, buying more time for the non-immune cells to escape. They fought with the same fervor as their lymphocyte comrades, and they similarly got mowed down by the traitorous maids. Still, they fought on with no care for their own selves or their own security.

"Into the liver!" an older veteran neutrophil shouted as he guided the scrambling red blood cells to take shelter inside the liver. "Get inside no-"

His receptor tingled, and he immediately turned, just in time to deflect the attack of a glasses wearing macrophage with his daggers.

"It is no use to run!" she bellowed at the running red blood cells while delivering successive slashes of her sword, all aimed at the neutrophil's throat. "The end is near, accept your deaths!"

"Shut up!" the veteran neutrophil shot back. He moved and parried her slashes and then delivered quick thrusts of his daggers at her vital points. "You cannot out best me!"

Fifteen seconds later, she did.

-0-0-0-

U1146 leaped forward toward the back of a distracted macrophage, plunging his dagger deep into her neck.

Foul smelling ichor burst out from the wound, spraying the neutrophil's grey uniform with the color of crimson.

The battle maid craned her neck as if to scream, but only bile and ash came out from her mouth.

She started to stagger. She swung her ax wide in continued defiance, but it lacked both precision and force to fend off her opponents. Wasting no time, the helmeted cell rammed her on the side with his shoulder, body slamming her down into the ground.

Her face contorted with rage, but the helmeted KT cell shoved his palm on her mouth as he proceeded to stab her again and again in the belly. In a moment of frenzy, the rest of her opponents descended upon her to take turns in thrusting their swords into her body, drenching her clothes with her own cellular fluids.

The battle maid met a brutal end, but her killers wanted more. Immediately, they scrambled toward the front line seeking for more traitors to kill.

The helmeted KT cell gave U1146 a nod before running toward the next macrophage to battle.

U1146 breathed heavily as his hands started to shake uncontrollably. He could feel his cytosol burning with anger as he watched his world descend into utter chaos.

A hundred questions in his head demanded at him for answers, but he ignored them all as he mustered all his mental strength to only focus on the reality before him.

Lady Em and her entourage had turned traitor.

They must be eliminated.

He tightened his grip on his two daggers to steady himself. The fighting had turned more frantic with the lines buckling and shifting depending on the chaotic rhythm of battle. Clouds of dust and explosions colored the battlefield with KT cells shuffling everywhere in order to fill up ranks that were utterly decimated by the traitorous maids.

U1146 gritted his teeth. He took a couple of steps toward the front line, but then he stopped. A sudden chill coursed through his body which made him completely still. An emotion deep within him burst out from inside screaming at him not to go.

He shook his head to make himself focus only on the fight ahead, but the feelings inside him only grew in intensity.

He had never felt such a strong and debilitating emotion before, and he knew it was not because he was afraid of dying. He was a neutrophil, fear was a foreign emotion for him, and yet something within was keeping him from going to the frontlines.

He forced his right leg to move forward, but again his body stopped him. He snarled in frustration at himself as he saw more KT cells getting obliterated by the traitorous maids.

 _I'm not a coward!_ He thought loudly. _I don't fear anyone… I don't fear-_

He stopped at mid-thought.

A single drop of sweat fell down his forehead as realization finally dawned on him.

 _Wait…_

He turned his head toward the entrance of the blood vessel tunnel where he popped out just some minutes ago.

 _Oh no… Oh no… Oh no…_

For the first time in his life, he finally tasted fear.

* * *

 **A/N:**

One wonders what could U1146 saw that made him, a professional killer, scared shitless with terror hehehe. XD

Anyways, I really enjoyed writing this chapter since I love writing hectic and chaotic fight scenes.

Also, this is the first half of the First Plot Point arc that tackles the first large-scale attack of the infected macrophages against the body.

The second half will be released next week, though I have to apologize in advance if I might be delayed in releasing it.

The second half is quite tricky to write, and my work in the office has slowly started piling up. Still, I've been challenging myself to release at least one chapter each week so let's just see.

...

Lastly, so many thanks to all my readers so far. I was surprised to see so many views in my Story Stat, I've never experienced having this so many views before.

I also thank all those who are following and favoriting this Story. It really means much to me to see people appreciating my work. 3

Lastly, lastly, a thousand thanks to all my readers from the US, Canada, and Mexico for being the top 3 countries with the most readers of my story.

Muchas Gracias to you all!

* * *

Revision History:

\- Originally published on Oct. 12, 2018


	8. Chapter 7: Kouhai

**Chapter 7: Kouhai**

Platelet-chan shut her eyes closed as she tightly wrapped her tiny hands around RBC-san's neck.

"Onee-chan!" she wailed, her little body shaking. "I'm scared!"

AE3803 hugged the little platelet closer to her chest, placing a hand on the back of her head in an attempt to calm her down.

She opened her mouth as if to say something but no words would even dare come out from her lips.

A sea of her fellow red blood cells scurried away from the conflict zones, fleeing into exit veins in panic, as the handful of neutrophils in the vicinity tried to buy enough time for them to escape.

She also wanted to run, she also wanted to flee, but her legs refused to move. She tiptoed as she tried to look passed the moving red blood cells and watch the destruction taking place in the plaza.

 _WBC-san…_ she thought. She could feel her chest aching. _WBC-san, where are you?_

Strong emotions swirling inside her pleaded with her to confirm the whereabouts of her neutrophil friend. True, she knew that he was strong and he could handle himself, but she couldn't stop herself from worrying about him.

"Onee-chan!"

Like a smack to the head, Platelet-chan's crying voice took her out from her debilitating stupor.

AE3803 blinked a couple of times as she looked down on the trembling platelet clutching her little arms around her neck.

That's right, she told WBC-san that she'd protect Platelet-chan with her own life. This was no time to stand around and worry about things she had no control over… This was now the time to move and act.

She shook her head vigorously to clear out her thoughts, forcing herself to focus solely on survival.

"D-Don't worry, Platelet-chan," she whispered at the little platelet's ear as she mustered all her willpower to move her legs. "Let's go to a safer place."

-0-0-0-

The apartment buildings surrounding the liver and plaza burned like pillars of fire as the traitorous maids torched each of them with resident cells still trapped inside.

Screams of the desperate and the laughter of the deranged echoed throughout the residential quarters. Some occupants tried to run and escape from the burning buildings only to be sliced down by macrophages waiting for them in the entrance.

On top of the dead KT cells piling up in droves in the plaza, so too the corpses non-immune cells also littered the streets and open spaces surrounding the battlefield while the dying prayed to the consciousness for protection and deliverance.

It would never come for them.

A red blood cell with long black hair and straight bangs laid face down on the cracked pavement, sobbing and praying for rescue. Her red uniform was in tatters, drenched heavily with her own cellular fluids. One of her legs got twisted into a disgusting angle that removed all doubt if she could ever walk again.

Tears ran down from her eyes as she clenched her teeth to stop herself from crying.

This was not supposed to happen. She was supposed to have a bright future ahead of her as a rising red blood cell rookie.

Her teachers in the bone marrow always told her that she was destined for greatness. She was a top achiever of her class as well as an excellent newbie with no records of any late or incorrect deliveries.

Her career life was just about to start.

But for NT4201, her future ended when the maidens of death started to set the whole world on fire.

Still laying prone face down, she craned her head up to level her eyes with the ground. Though tears made her vision all blurry, she still caught a glimpse of a redheaded red blood cell standing idiotically on the far side of the plaza, holding what appeared to be a platelet in her arms.

NT4201 stretched out her left hand toward the redhead red blood cell, as if wanting to touch her, before a crowd of other panic-stricken red blood cells all running toward the exit veins blocked her view.

"S-Senpai…" she mewled, her voice hoarse and in pain. "Help… Me..."

NT4201 had met her senpai some time ago, and she quickly found out that her senpai was a total klutz and an airhead who always gets lost even with the guidance of a map. In fact, in almost every category of her job description, she had already surpassed her senpai by a huge margin. There was even a time that she almost decided to confront her senpai and tell her directly in her face of her clumsiness and incompetence.

However, during a disaster that almost ended their world, her senpai ultimately proved her worth when she never gave up in her duty of delivering oxygen amidst the serious destruction inflicted to the circulatory system. Even when their situation became so helpless and futile, her senpai never hanged up her jacket but instead brave forth the perils so that no normal cells would suffocate to death.

From that day on, NT4201 found a new respect for her senpai, and she had looked up to her ever since even though her senpai was still directionally-challenged.

"Please senpai…" she sobbed. "Don't leave me…"

"To whom are you looking at, little one?"

NT4201's eyes went wide with absolute terror. Her body started to tremble uncontrollably. Slowly, she tilted her head to her side and saw the incarnation of death looking down on her.

A macrophage wearing dark-rimmed glasses knelt down beside her. Her voices sounded concern and helpful, but her scarred pale face only conveyed otherwise. Gone was the friendly smile expected of an elegant maid, replaced instead with a sinister smirk that showed rows of sharp teeth. Her eyes glowed a sickly yellowish hue, and she wore a dark, gelatinous beret with spikes protruding from its surface instead of a usual maid hat. A long scaly appendage dangled behind her cap which ended into a sharp metal stinger.

"Do not be afraid, my child," the death maid cooed. "This pain, this suffering is just temporary."

The macrophage spoke softly, but to NT4201's ears, her words boomed like thunder, easily drowning the loud screams and shouts of the battle nearby.

Even when her traitorous sisters were busy fighting off the rest of the KT cells, this four-eyed maid had decided to take some time off from her brutal slaughter in order to talk with her.

NT4201 closed her eyes as her jaw began to rattle uncontrollably. "Please… Leave me alone."

The battle maid chuckled. She placed a hand on her head, gently ruffling her jet-black hair.

"I heard your prayers, little erythrocyte," the macrophage stopped ruffling her hair. "But I'm afraid your beloved senpai won't be able to help you at all."

"No…" NT4201 wailed. "Please… I don't want to die."

"There, there, rest assured, child," her tormentor patted her on the head. "There is no need to cry."

NT4201 felt a hand lifting up her chin.

For a moment, she believed that this was just a dream. This terrible ordeal was nothing more than a terrifying _lucid_ dream being broadcasted by the neuron cells every time the world goes to REM sleep. Everyone here were just actors and she was just part of the extras playing out a nightmare scenario to scare off the _Consciousness_ into waking up. This had happened before in the past and based on what the older red blood cells told her, lucid dreams were horrifying.

With tears still streaming from her eyes, she peered slightly from her left eye and saw the blurry face of what appeared to be an angel. Gone were the horrible scars and jagged rows of teeth, now replaced with a smile only a caring mentor would possess.

For a fraction of a moment, she dared to hope against all hope that this was indeed just a dream.

"Your death will be quick, and you will be reborn to something else."

NT4201's face turned to white with terror. The angel laughed and her visage returned back to the face of evil incarnate.

Before she could scream, the deranged four-eyed maid placed a hand on her mouth, preventing from making any noise.

She watched with pure horror as the macrophage opened her mouth and out crawled a spawn of incredible malice. The creature had thorns sticking out from its gelatinous hide, and it had a tail with a sharp tipped blade at the end.

She finally realized that this abomination was the same as the gruesome caps that these insane maids wore and that it was not a living organism at all.

It was neither living or dead… It was a virus.

 _No… Please…_ She shook her head vigorously. _No! Help! Senpai! Senpai, help me!_

She tried to get away from the spindly monster, but the battle maid held her in place with a hand gripping her mouth.

The thing then crawled on top of the maid's arm, slowly making its way toward her.

NT4201 blurted out a muffled scream. She tried desperately to yank out the maid's hand away from her mouth to no avail.

The virus now climbed on top of her head. She could feel its spindly legs burying deep into her temples, sending jolts of pain throughout her body. Primal fear finally took hold of her, and she squirmed, cried, and begged to be spared from such a horrifying fate.

"Nooo, shenfaii… shenfaii heelff me! Shenfai! SHENFAI-"

Her face contorted into a silent scream as her eyes went wide with her pupils rolling up behind her eyelids. The virus had just pierced the top of her head with a sharp needle-like proboscis, injecting her with a disgusting black ichor that contained its viral data.

Her rolled-up pupils fluttered as she felt her mind getting warped up by the influx of information injected into her. The feelings of hate, regret, and murder all swirled inside her head, twisting her personality and her ego into something.

This was it, she was going to die.

Her last regret was that she wasn't able to muster enough courage to confess to her senpai how much she felt for her.

 _Senpai…_ she thought fleetingly. _I love you…_

* * *

 **A/N:**

This chapter was not really part of my outline. This was just supposed to be a short scene of a dying random Red Blood Cell getting tormented by a macrophage before switching back to U1146's perspective. Then I remembered that AE3803 had a cute dependable kouhai and I immediately realized the potential of the kouhai inserted into the story.

So yeah, outlines are good, I love outlines, but still, make yourself flexible enough to add things that were not part of the plan.

Until next time!

 **A/N (Oct 20, 2018):**

Btw, forgot to mention... This is not the whole second part that I mentioned in the previous chapter. This was just supposed to be a short scene that ballooned into its own chapter.

* * *

Revision History:

\- Originally published on Oct. 17, 2018

\- Updated some lines in the story to be consistent with Chapter 8 scene. Oct. 19, 2018

\- Major update to fix up grammar and descriptions. Oct. 20, 2018


	9. Chapter 8: Duty

**Chapter 8: Duty**

For the first time in his life, he finally tasted fear.

Looking at the blood vessel entrance, U1146 saw a surge of red blood cells all rushing toward the adjacent exit veins. Panic had ensued through their ranks, and a stampede could happen at any moment. His eyes darted from one red blood cell to another, desperately trying to find a redhead carrying a little platelet in her arms.

 _Where are they? RBC-san, where are you?_

A few seconds ago, he dismissed all thoughts that distracted him from entering the frontlines, but now that he had finally entertained the gut-wrenching worry that had immobilized him, another part of his psyche protested.

His instincts screamed at him to go back to the battlefield and do his duty, but he couldn't. His rational side assured him that the two were safe and had already escaped into the veins, as per his instructions, but still, he couldn't go back.

True, he wanted to go into the fray, he wanted to fight alongside his adaptive immune cell comrades, but he couldn't stop worrying about RBC-san and Platelet-chan. He thought it was already enough for him to just tell the two to find safe shelter, but now when all hell broke loose, he realized he couldn't handle the anxiety of not knowing about their whereabouts.

He didn't like to admit it, but he was torn between his sense of duty and his feelings for the two cells he cared the most.

"Neutrophil? What are you doing?"

He turned around and saw the helmeted KT cell waiting for him to join the fight. The rest of his squad mates have already gone ahead to engage the traitorous maids.

"I uh," U1146 made a quick glance toward the sea of frantic red blood cells before looking back at the lymphocyte, his expression unsure and anxious.

"What the hell…" the helmeted KT seethed. He strode back toward him, grabbing him by the collar. U1146 didn't resist. "I know neutrophils are some time odd and unpredictable, but I've never heard your kind to be a bunch of cowards!"

The ground trembled, and an explosion somewhere in the heart of the battlefield boomed.

"No! I'm not a coward!" U1146 snarled, a moment of defiance against an insult to his honor. But then, his expression soon wilted away when he realized his reason for doing what he was about to do was in direct conflict of everything he stood for.

"I'm not running away," U1146 stammered, gone was his sense of defiance, now replaced with an expression of a cell about to go rogue. "It's just that… I need… I need to find someone."

He winced. He finally blurted out the real reason bothering him. He knew his reason was irrational. It was outrageous for anyone to even consider valuing the life of an individual cell more than the overall safety of the world. The death of one or two cells was of no consequence, but when the world dies, everything else dies.

He knows this, but he still chose the two.

"Are you insane?" growled the helmeted KT. "Will you abandon your duties, your oath, just so you can find someone else?"

"I'm not abandoning my duties!" U1146 shot back, but his words again sounded hollow even to his ears. "I'm a neutrophil, my mission is to kill. It's just that…"

"It's just what?" the helmeted KT asked. He raised a hand to point at the raging front lines. "You see that? We are dying against the macrophages! We are sacrificing our lives for the world! We die for the world!"

"You don't understand!" U1146 countered, his voice sounding exasperated. He could feel anger boiling in his cytosol as he started to clasped the helmeted KT's arm gripping his collar. "I'm not steering away from my duties, it's just that I want to fi-"

The ground trembled once more, but this time, a bright light suddenly flashed in the direction of where he left RBC-san awhile go followed by a massive roaring explosion.

The wind shrieked, and they got all hit by a violent shockwave. Hundreds of red blood cells near the blast site got thrown out high up in the air before falling into the ground crushed and scorched. The cries of the dying once again joined the chaotic chorus of battle as mighty chunks of the tissue walls encompassing the plaza got blown off from the explosion.

The shockwave knocked both U1146 and the helmeted KT from their feet, hurling them to the ground dazed and disoriented.

Every part of U1146's body ached in pain. He groaned in agony before mustering all his strength to stand up.

 _Urrgh..._

He wiped the dirt and grimed from his face before he snapped his attention toward the direction of the explosion.

His pale face turned even paler.

 _Oh no…_

A large gaping maw had opened up in a portion of the tissue wall that led to the outer realms of the abyss. Hot searing air that had enveloped him during the shockwave was now rushing out into the vacuum outside of the organ carrying with it scores of screaming red blood cells in an event called _internal hemorrhage_.

The helmeted KT beside him cursed under his breath as he staggered to get himself back again.

"I am not running away," the neutrophil declared. "I will fight these traitors with my life, but I need to look first for a red blood cell and a platelet that are friends of mine."

He pointed to the direction of the explosion where a tear in the world had opened up. "They could be there, I need to save them."

"Then go!" the helmeted KT snapped. "I can't stop you now can I? Just know this… You are just trading the lives of a hundred of your comrades for the lives of two insignificant cells!"

U1146 looked directly into the opaque visor of the helmeted KT. His face now neutral and devoid of the conflict that had torn him a moment ago. He had already made his decision, and he would see it all the way to the end.

"They are not insignificant," he muttered, barely audible from the turbulent noise around them. "They are my friends."

And with that, U1146 sprinted toward the opening of the abyss.

-0-0-0-

A minute ago, AE3306 was trudging her way amidst a sea of her frantic kind toward the exit veins, with Platelet-chan wrapped tightly in her arms, and a second later, a bright flash of light burst out from behind and she was hurled out into the air before landing hard back into the ground.

Her face grimaced into a soundless scream as her body writhed in pain that felt like a hundred hot needles getting jammed all over her membrane. Stars danced in front of her eyes with her head dazed from the impact.

Clouds of dust bloomed out in all direction, enveloping her with a reddish haze that made her surroundings looked bleak and hopeless.

With her thoughts still in a swirl, she tried to gather up all her wits and stand, but then her eyes snapped wide open as she realized Platelet-chan was no longer in her arms.

She forced herself to stand up, and her body immediately protested in agony.

 _Arrgh!_

She gritted her teeth, ignoring the searing pain with all the strength she could muster.

"Platelet-chan!" she yelled. "Where are y-"

The words died out in her lips. A cold chill ran down her back when she saw the black gaping wound in the tissue wall.

 _N-No..._

"Platelet-chan!" she shouted again, desperation cracking up her voice. She ran toward the direction of the wall opening, hoping and praying that the little platelet had not been sucked into the void along with countless of her fellow red blood cells.

"Please, Platelet-chan! Where are you?!"

She could feel the wind howling from behind as air and matter rushed out into the vacuum of the abyss.

She instinctively placed a hand on her head so as to secure her cap from getting blown off. The nearer she came toward the hole, the stronger the wind tried to reel her in.

The ground shook violently, and another large chunk of the wall and the ground broke off and got immediately swallowed whole into the black void along with anyone unfortunate enough to have been caught in the ruin.

She searched the remaining debris for any sign of the little platelet but only found the still bodies of crushed red blood cells and neutrophils. Tears now started to swell in her eyes as she became more and more desperate in every ticking second.

The thought of losing the little platelet tore her up to the very core. She hated herself for not being able to protect her. She even made a promise to help her find her teammates only to end up losing her instead amidst the chaos.

"Platelet-chan…" she cried. "Please be al-"

"Onee-chan!"

AE3803's head immediately snapped to the direction of the high-pitched voice that called her out.

There, on a bent lamp post close to the chasmal rift stood Platelet-chan, her tiny arms wrapped around tightly on the streetlight, holding for dear life as the suction of air tried to pull her into the vacuum.

"Platelet-chan!" she yelled as she sprinted toward the thrombocyte.

The sound of her footstep sounded like thunder in her ears, and the path toward the little platelet seemed to have stretched. She heaved mouthfuls of breath as she quickened her pace.

She muttered a prayer of thanks to the Consciousness that Platelet-chan was alright, that she was unha-

Her foot stepped on uneven ground, and she instantly lost her balance. She lurched a couple of steps forward as she tried to get back her balance, only to end up tripping, falling to the ground hard.

"Oof!"

Her face got introduced to the cracked pavement which sent jolts of pain shooting through all points of her body.

For a moment, she laid on the ground unmoving. Her face hurts like hell, and she wanted to continue crying again.

She hated this.

She clenched her teeth in frustration. True, she never had any illusions on how she was a total idiot who couldn't get even simple directions right. She knows she was not the sharpest red blood cell to have graduated from the bone marrow.

The very fact that her kouhai was more capable and reliable than her was proof enough of how big of a failure she was.

She hated all of it.

Perhaps lying here on the ground until the world comes to an end would be the best thing to do after all?

She curled her hands into tight fists.

 _No._

 _I made a promise._

She pushed herself back to her feet and then proceeded to move toward the little platele-

She stopped.

She didn't move, nor did she dared breathe.

Her eyes grew wide as her face turned ashen white from sheer terror.

"Oh dear, some rescuer you are," snickered a monster wearing heavy-rimmed glasses. She stood behind a terrified Platelet-chan, her pale, sickly hands resting on the tiny thrombocyte's shoulder. "Tripping at your own feet? Really child? I mourn your instructors in the bone marrow for letting you graduate."

AE3803 stood immobile. She dared not make any sudden moves for fear of provoking the traitor maid.

"Milady," AE3803 started, trying to suppress the fear in her voice. "I am the a-acting guardian of P-Platelet-chan. W-Will you t-turn… turn her over t-to me?"

"Acting guardian?" the maid scoffed. She placed a hand on the tiny thrombocyte's shoulder while patting her on the head with her other hand. "You acting guardian to this little angel here?! Don't make me laugh degenerate!"

AE3803 furrowed her brows, not really comprehending what the deranged macrophage was rambling about nor did she have the time to care. All that mattered to her now was to get Platelet-chan to safety.

"If I was as bold as I am now and I was your instructor," this time, the four-eyed maid snarled. "I would have already thrown you out to the spleen for recycling!"

"W-What are you talking about?" AE3803 shouted. "I j-just want you to release Platelet-chan!"

"Release this little one back to your filthy hands? Never!" the mad maid spatted. She proceeded to caress the cheeks of the little thrombocyte with the back of her hand.

Platelet-chan trembled at the touch, but she didn't dare make any sudden move to avoid the macrophage's hand. Fear had paralyzed her from sprinting away toward her onee-chan, and so she remained at the grasp of her captor while sobbing silently for rescue.

AE3803 could no longer bear the sight of the little thrombocyte crying.

"Pl-Please m-milady, I beg you!" AE3803 raised her arms to her side, as a sign of surrender, before kneeling to the ground in an act of submission. "Let go of P-Platelet-chan and take me instead! Y-You can do anything to me j-just let her go."

"And why would I want you degenerate?" the mad macrophage pointed an accusing finger at her. "You are a defect, a mistake that should have been corrected a long time ago."

"What are you talking about milady?" this was the first time AE3803 heard anyone call her a mistake. Sure she was a klutz and not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but she was a normal red blood cell nothing more, nothing less. "I'm not a m-mistake!"

The deranged maid let out a cackle that outmatched the howls of the raging wind.

"You. Are. A. Sickle. Cell." the macrophage enunciated with every word full of venom and disgust. "You are damaged. You are imperfect. You are a mistake!"

AE3803's mouth fell. The maid was clearly mad, but her words carried out an answer that had evaded her all her life but one that finally provided an explanation regarding her true identity. She'd heard about sickle cells before when her teacher mentioned it during class. However, there had been no recorded case of a red blood cell being born as a sickle red blood cell.

But then, if she tried to put two and two together, everything would make absolute sense. She sucked at her work not because she was an idiot, she sucked because she was different.

"That's…"

AE3803 shook her head slowly. The maid's words seemed to ring true to her ears and every syllable she uttered felt like tiny knives being thrust into her chest.

But that didn't matter now…

What she needs to focus now was to get Platelet-chan away to safety.

"That's beside the point!" AE3803 declared, her voice cracking but defiant. "I… I don't c-care if I'm a s-sickle cell! Let go of P-Platelet-chan!"

The traitorous macrophage narrowed her eyes, glaring deadly daggers straight at her. AE3803 could feel a dark aura emanating from the mad maid, and she could hear her let out a low drumming growl.

"You insolent ingrate!" the monster bared her rows of sharp teeth. "Don't you understand?! You are not worthy for this little one! You are not even worthy to be re-"

"TRAITOR!"

Both AE3803 and the maid immediately snapped their attention toward a heap of debris to their side where a neutrophil stained with blotches of crimson stood.

AE3803's face brightened. Their savior had come… WBC-san had returned, and the very sight of him made her eyes watery with relief.

"Onii-chan!" Platelet-chan cried out. Instinctively, she tried to run toward him, but the macrophage had her hand gripping the back of her shirt, preventing her from moving anywhere. "Help me, onii-chan!"

"Unhand her traitor!" U1146 bellowed. He pointed his dagger at her goading her to rise to his challenge. "She's innocent! Do not involve her with this war!"

"Hah!" the maid's mouth widened into a grin. She revealed her long forked tongue as she proceeded to lick her lips. "A challenger appears! Perhaps you would prove to be far more amusing than that veteran neutrophil I slaughtered!"

"Shut up monster," U1146 shouted. "I will not tell you again… Step away from the platelet!"

"Platelet? Oh you mean this little angel?" the four-eyed monster hoisted Platelet-chan up by the collar of her shirt, dangling her above the ground like some backpack. The little thrombocyte wailed as she flailed her tiny arms on her side.

"Please!" AE3803 pleaded. "Let Platelet-chan go!"

The mad maid turned her gaze toward her, showing her a maniacal grin. "Child, you really are a stupid degenerate. Such a poor choice of words!"

Without warning, the macrophage hurled the little platelet at the gaping maw of the abyss before unsheathing her blade to parry U1146's daggers who had blurred his way toward her in a fraction of a second, his face twisted with raw anger.

"Monster!" U1146 exploded. He came down hard on the deranged maid, unleashing at her a series of blows full of his unbridled fury. "Why did you do that?! She was innocent!"

U1146's twin daggers sang each time they clashed with the macrophage's obsidian sword. The maid had the advantage of weapon length and strength, but he countered it with extreme agility and speed.

"You worry too much soldier!" The macrophage laughed as she blocked all his attacks with her blade. "Angels fly!"

U1146 roared with rage.

AE3803 sprinted past WBC-san and the maid. She paid them no heed as she ran all the way toward the opening. His neutrophil friend could handle himself, and she muttered a silent prayer to the _Consciousness_ to bless him with protection.

The void beyond had sucked Platelet-chan into its mighty black expanse, but that didn't mean she was already dead.

She refused to believe that. She refused to believe her little friend was no more.

 _No!_ She thought. _She's alive! She's not dead!_

There was still hope. Until she saw the still body of Platelet-chan, she would go to the edges of the world to save her even if it means moving beyond the rift of the world.

AE3803 finally arrived at the precipice between light and darkness. Beyond lies the outer regions of the organs and blood vessels. To step in this realm was a death sentence but she would brave on, she would go and save the little platelet even if it's the last thing she'd ever do.

Even when the world was ending, at least she'd be able to save one tiny friend.

"Wait for me Platelet-chan, onee-chan is coming!"

* * *

 **A/N:**

Ok wow, this chapter was harder to write than I thought. Maybe because in my outline, this was supposed to be just two bullet point summaries, but it ended up becoming one entire chapter of its own. In chapter 6 A/N, I mentioned that Chapter 6 was the first half of the First Plot Point arc but I now see that it was incorrect. There's just a lot more to write before we could end the arc and I think there's one more chapter to write before we could wrap everything thing up.

So anyway, there's a popular fan theory that AE3803 is a sickle red blood cell because she is clumsy in her work. But is she really a sickle cell? Was the mad macrophage correct?

Let's see and wait for the chapters ahead.

Until next time!

* * *

Revision History:

\- Originally published on Oct. 28, 2018


	10. Chapter 9: Duty, Destiny, Lies

**A/N:**

Before I start, let me just give a huge, huuge, huuuge shout out to Mira Avis and her story 'Realisations'. Her story is a really good and informative take of 'Cells at Work' and her story also follows the style of the manga. In addition, she also has one of the best take on the U1146 and AE3306 pairing I've seen.

Mira has also helped me with some aspects on the plot of my story especially a vital scene in this chapter.

So anyway, If you haven't done so, I suggest go and read/favorite/follow/comment on her story. I guarantee you won't be disappointed. XD

* * *

 **Chapter 9: Duty, Destiny, Lies**

They were losing.

He didn't need to sugarcoat it. He didn't need to hide it.

The truth of their situation burned as bright as day. These psychotic macrophages were slaughtering them at a rate faster than they could stick their gladius blades into their beating mitochondria.

The mauled corpses of his brothers littered the battlefield, and he could see that their lines had grown thin. They started this battle vastly outnumbering the enemy, they clearly had the advantage in strength, but these maniacal maids proved to be far more brutal and relentless than they've anticipated. Their numbers had started to come into parity with theirs, and he knew it would only be a matter of time before the macrophages succeed in utterly wiping them all out from this world.

As the acting commander of the battalion after Lady Em decapitated his superior, it was now his duty to order his comrades to fall back.

"Fall back!" he bellowed to his brothers while keeping the pressure on the macrophage leader. He checked Lady Em's hard swing of her scythe before lunging a counterstrike of his gladius directly into her throat. "Into the liver! Fall back!"

Without hesitation or fanfare, a dozen horns scattered in the battlefield howled a loud tone, signaling the remaining KT cells to disengage from combat and relocate back into the liver.

Almost immediately, the KT cells started their tactical retreat toward the organ's main ventricles with extreme discipline, bleeding the macrophages for every ground they relinquished. With such skilled rearguard actions, they evacuated first the wounded inside, followed by the exhausted and the spent. A number of the neutrophils, those who successfully evacuated the non-immune cells into the liver, also decided to fall back inside.

Gradually, the KT cells' battle line began to shrink, but they never faltered. Those that chose to remain as cover for the rest did so with no illusion of ever surviving the next hour. Death was not only certain, it was a given.

And yet that fact didn't even hinder them one bit.

The rearguard fought with such ferocity, such madness, that they dealt massive punishment to the maids they once called their sworn sisters-at-arms.

"I am surprised lieutenant," Lady Em quipped. "I thought the KT cells never retreat."

The KT sub-commander snorted. He unleashed another thrust of his blade aimed at the maid leader's chest to which she blocked with _Plagueharvest's_ metallic shaft. "This is not a retreat… We are charging in the opposite direction."

"Hah!" Lady Em let out a genuine giggle. "That is a good one, I admit."

Blade and scythe spun around like a music-less dance… slicing, sweeping, clanging.

"You will not succeed traitor," the KT sub-commander growled, his eyes burned with raw fury. "I will end you!"

He launched himself toward Lady Em, swinging his faithful gladius to battle once more. They traded blow after blow with such ferocity that each strike of their weapons boomed like cracked thunder. The blade master versus the angel of death… they fought like legendary cells of old back when the world was still young, and antigens roamed free to spread their corruption.

The KT sub-commander wielded his gladius for another batch of blazing slashes, but this time, Lady Em went in the offensive, swinging _Plagueharvest_ in deadly, looping arcs, with all intention to eviscerate him. He blocked and parried the macrophage's great swings but now he was on the defensive, and slowly, he started to give ground.

One step back… Two steps… Three…

Lady Em's offensive started to increase in pace, and soon they clashed with blurring speeds. Their weapons no longer sang a rhythmic cadence, but now they shriek in twisted metal agony.

The KT sub-commander never wavered, never faltered but the pressure against him had driven him to his limit until finally, a chink in his defense appeared, and his deranged opponent struck the coup de grace.

Lady Em slashed her scythe in a downward angle to which the sub-commander parried with his blade. The archtraitor, however, abruptly changed the trajectory of _Plagueharvest_ at the last second, avoiding the gladius entirely. The sub-commander realized the feint too late and the next thing he knew, his weapon fell to the ground along with his fingers, hand, and elbow.

Crimson cytoplasm burst out from the stump of his right arm, but instead of writhing in pain, he took out his side dagger and then lunged forth toward his opponent, his mouth wide open in a visceral scream of pure hatred.

He would end this rebellion right here, right now. If he was going to hell, then he'd drag this diabolical abomination with him.

He thrust his dagger into the maid's jugular.

"DIE TRAITOR!"

But Lady Em didn't evade his attack.

She just opened her wide gaping mouth and, with one bite of her sharp teeth, she bit the approaching dagger mid-shaft, breaking the blade into two.

Lady Em then followed her counterattack by driving her hand right into the sub-commander's chest and, with a feat only a debauched macrophage could do, shattered his armor into tiny pieces. Her hand didn't stop, but it went straight into his membrane, plunging deeper and deeper until she pulled out her hand clutching one of his still pulsing mitochondria.

Streams of cytoplasm burst out from his chest, and he finally fell to the ground with a thud.

Cytoplasmic fluid began to pool around him, surrounding him with a sticky puddle.

His mouth started to quiver, but only wet gurgling sound could be heard.

This was it… He had finally lost.

Lady Em knelt beside him, his fluids staining her immaculately white dress with a deep crimson color. She stared down directly into his unfocused eyes.

"Yes, lieutenant?" she leaned closer to his mouth. "Do you have any last thing to say?"

Tears fell down the sub-commander's eyes. In a minute or less, he'd be dead. There was nothing more for him to do. He had done his duty, and now it was time to rest.

With the last of his fleeing strength, he forced himself to utter a question that nagged him when all hell broke loose.

"W-Why… do… this…"

Lady Em didn't immediately respond. Her sinister smile had turned into a more somber frown. She then drew in a deep breath.

"I'm already dead, lieutenant," she started as she let out a sigh. "My group and I are infected. I don't deny it nor do I hide it. I wish I could apologize to you, but I cannot. The world will end, and it will be through my hands. Before I die, I want to see this beautiful world, a world where I once enjoyed great afternoon tea, burn to the ground along with me."

The sub-commander shivered and coughed mouthfuls of his own cellular fluid.

"We… will… stop… you..." he forced himself to utter. Even at the last moment, he still remained defiant.

The archtraitor shook her head. She placed a hand on his cheek as she tried to focus his unfocused gaze with her own sickly yellow orbs.

"No lieutenant," she replied. "You will join us."

And with that, she opened her mouth, and a creature of darkness started crawling out.

-0-0-0-

"Soldier, do you believe in destiny?"

U1146 said nothing, focusing only his mind on how to put his dagger into the wretched maid's neck.

He lunged at her, got blocked, then lunged again.

"Hey soldier, do you think destiny is real?" the glasses-wearing macrophage retreated a couple of steps to evade his attack before returning quickly to bring her blade to bear.

"Your destiny is death, traitor!" U1146 snarled. Though he could stand in par with her, he knew it wouldn't be long before fatigue steps in and it would only need one slip-up to cause his downfall. His enemy though showed no sign of exhaustion. She was not even showing any sign of taking this duel seriously.

He gritted his teeth. He had no time for this, he needed to save Platelet-chan, and he needed to do it now. The time spent fighting with this monster was time lost he could use in searching for the little thrombocyte.

What's more, she'd seen AE3603 had foolheartedly sprinted toward the abyss in the hope of also rescuing Platelet-chan. He didn't like her being reckless, but with him still preoccupied, he couldn't really blame her.

The deranged maid laughed. "Hah! Death is where we will all end up, but that is not what I meant when I ask about destiny."

They crashed once again, deflecting each other's strike as the twin daggers and the blade ricocheted from one another.

U1146 pedaled a few steps back before building up momentum with his feet then he lunged low, his twin daggers aimed below the maid's waistline.

The macrophage swung her sword in a descending angle to counter, but he blocked it with one of his daggers. That gave him the microsecond opening he needed, and he immediately aimed his other dagger squarely to her chest.

This was it. This was the death blow.

But the deranged maid managed to grab his incoming hand on the wrist, stopping his dagger mere nanometers from her neck.

The glasses-wearing maid gave him a psychotic smirk before twisting his arm with the flick of her wrist.

U1146's snarled in agony as he flipped over to the ground carried by the maid's torsional force.

He cursed at the underhanded attack, and he tried getting up again, but the maid slammed him back to the ground as she started to sit on top of him with her blade dangling closely to his neck.

He bared his teeth in defiance but that only enticed the mad macrophage to lean closer to him so that her face almost touched with hers. She then started grinding her waist in arousal.

"As I was saying, soldier," she moaned, quivering with delight. "Do you believe in destiny?"

"What does it matter to you?" U1146 spat. "There is no such thing as fate! We only have our duties to live by and-"

He stopped mid-sentence as he realized the words coming out from his mouth sounded hollow and distant.

The maid immediately spotted the contradiction, and her lips slowly crept into a wide malicious grin.

"There is only what? Duties?" this time, the mad maid's grin had reached out from ear to ear. "I hardly find the thought of prioritizing the lives of a degenerate and a little bundle of joy over the defense of the world as part of anyone's duty."

U1146 shifted his gaze to his side and said nothing. His own words, though a slip-up, cut him deep into the core. All this time, he had deluded himself into thinking that he was not abandoning his duty by helping out RBC-san and Platelet-chan and that he was just realigning his mission objectives.

In normal circumstances, this could be acceptable. After all, as a neutrophil, he had far more freedom to do what needs to be done compared to his lymphocyte comrades. However, when the world faced such a cataclysmic rebellion, there should have been no question on what was to be the higher priority.

She leaned closer to his side and then started to lick him with her long forked tongue, starting from his neck all the way to his ear. He shuddered with disgust.

"Soldier, I think it's time to stop lying to yourself," the maid whispered into his ear. "I won't say that you completely abandoned your duties, but you did leave your comrades in the battlefield to pursue a selfish desire."

U1146 wanted to yell at her to get off from him but the cold metal blade pressed into his neck kept him at bay.

"It's not selfish!" he blurted out before shutting up again. He felt the more he say anything, the more he felt shameful of himself.

"Oh I'm not implying that's a bad thing," she chuckled. "In fact, though what you did was indeed selfish, it was also admirable. It proves you're not just an automaton doomed to do his duty over, and over, and over again."

Suddenly, the maid sat up straight, taking her blade away from his neck. His brows furrowed with confusion and he turned his gaze back to stare at his opponent's eyes, looking for any sign of treachery.

"It means you have a destiny," she declared. "It means you are destined to do something in the future that would have a great effect on the world whether it is for good or bad."

"I only wish to save my friends," he confessed, the admission drained him much of his strength. "After saving them, I would have gone back into fighting your ilk."

"Indeed you will," the mad macrophage concurred, almost sounding satisfied he finally told the truth. "That is why I will not strike you down today. There are forces beyond our comprehension that desire your survival."

U1146 blinked. His mind did a double take in confirming what she just said. "You… You will what?"

"It is tempting, I admit, to defy fate and strike you right here, right now. But my organelles tell me even if I do that, nothing will happen." she asserted before standing up. "Go, soldier, save your friends. Complete your destiny."

She started to walk toward the direction of the battlefield but stopped only a couple of steps from him. She slightly turned her head to give him a smug smirk. "And once you're done, look for me, and let's see if your destiny includes me snapping up your neck."

And with that, she left him, concluding their battle.

U1146 watched her walk away still not believing he was able to survive their encounter with his life.

In any case, he shook his head before forcing himself to stand up. He felt every organelle inside him groaning in pain, but he ignored their protest.

He had already broken off from his duty to pursue a selfish objective. After this whole incident, if ever he survives this, he knew his other neutrophil friends would shun him if they knew what he had done. Still, he had to proceed. To hell with anyone who would judge him harshly for his actions.

What matters most now was to save RBC-san and Platelet-chan at all cost.

He heard the sounds of horns booming from the battlefield. It was a call to fall back. The KT cells have decided to retreat and regroup probably inside the liver.

This should also mean for him to fall back as well, but he had already made up his mind.

He started to run but not into the direction of the liver…

He ran instead to the hemorrhagic opening to the abyss beyond.

-0-0-0-

The damned had risen.

Together with her fellow battle maids, Lady Em performed the ritual of ascension for those KT cells that have fallen but have proven to them their worth in battle. The macrophages regurgitated hundreds of the virus spawns out of their mouths which then skittered away toward the scalps of their former enemies.

These creatures of pure malice also targeted other non-immune cells that had fallen victim to the macrophage's carnage. Those cells that had a nucleus were all prey for these virus spawns while they ignored the dead and dying erythrocytes writhing in the ground.

As they buried their chitinous legs deep into the temples of their fallen prey, slowly, the eyes of the dead opened, and soon they staggered back to their feet.

Lady Em saw the fruits of her group's labor and found it was good.

"And I will raise them up in the last day," she muttered to herself.

She raised her unholy scythe for all to see and then she pointed it toward the entrance of the liver where the surviving KT cells had already started barricading it with everything they've got.

"My friends!" she bellowed. "Let us begin."

The dead responded by a chorus of a thousand rotting throats all howling in anguish.

-0-0-0-

NT4201 stared at the wound of the world and saw nothing but darkness.

A minute ago, she saw a neutrophil drenched with cytoplasm leap into the abyss for reasons she couldn't understand.

The pain in her head was unbearable like a thousand knives had been shoved inside her eye sockets, nostrils, and ear canal all at once.

Her mind felt fleeting and distant. In fact, the very act of thinking already felt like a daunting task. Hoarse voices that sounded like kidney crystals grinding whispered raw hatred inside her head.

The voices dragged out all the repressed emotions buried deep within her, telling her of how utterly worthless she was for her senpai.

 _You are weak…_

 _Senpai doesn't love you…_

 _You are a worthless piece of glucose…_

Her face twitched from the pain, but her expression remained blank and dead.

The macrophage who assaulted her had lied.

She told her that she would die, but she only damned her to hell while letting her live in torment in this dying world.

Perhaps it would have been best if she indeed died when the virus spawn injected its RNA into her. She would have preferred death than to continue on living feeling such unbearable pain.

 _You do not deserve death._ The voices in her head whispered. _You must suffer for all the sins you've committed._

Because she was an erythrocyte, she didn't possess the necessary organelles to be controlled by a virus. Unlike the macrophages or other immune cells, she doesn't have a nucleus that the virus could implant its data and reproduce. As such, the blasted virus spawn the mad macrophage forcibly infected her with only injected its RNA inside her head, but it could not corrupt her since she doesn't have a nucleus. The spawn remained perched on top of her head, but it couldn't do anything more than that.

As an erythrocyte, she should have been safe, and yet, the pure evil within the strands of the RNA virus still had a visible effect on her as they soon started making her feel sick. At the same time, she began hearing voices whispering to her thoughts full of poison and malice.

 _Senpai has abandoned you…_

 _She left you for dead… She valued more the life of that platelet than yours…_

"S-Senpai," she croaked. "I…"

Suddenly, jolts of searing pain assaulted her compromised mind. She immediately closed her eyes shut, clenching her teeth to ride out the agony.

She clutched her hands on the side of her head, her nails digging deep into his membrane. Streams of red cytoplasm soon oozed down her cheeks.

Finally, the pain subsided just barely enough for her to regain a sort of control on herself. The insides of her head still pulsed but she could now at least assemble her thoughts.

She was abandoned.

She was left for dead.

Even when her ankle got twisted during the ensuing chaos brought by the macrophage's attack, nobody had stopped to help her out.

The voices in her head were correct.

She was a nobody…

And nobody loved her.

"Senpai," she croaked again, this time edging even closer to the abyss. "This… This is all your fault."

And with that thought, she descended down to hell.

* * *

 **A/N:**

And at last, we have come to the end of Arc 1! Now I can finally go back into writing about NK and KT. I wonder what those two cells are doing now that the enemy has finally shown up their faces?

In any case, Arc 1 went longer than expected. I'm still able to follow the outline I wrote but the word count prediction is already thrown out of the window. Who knows how long this story will run to now? XD

Btw, just a fun fact. I never intended NT4201 to become a major character in this story. The original idea was just to have her die by the glasses-wearing macrophage (because she's damned insane) and be done with it. However, NT4201 was really tough to kill and I ended up writing a whole chapter just about her. Then, at the end of Chapter 8, I planned to have her infected just like the macrophages, complete with a virus hat, but then, Mira pointed out in her work that Erythrocytes can't get infected by viruses because they don't have nuclei. That information basically torpedoed my whole plan down the drain. Luckily, NT4201's story was still salvageable without necessarily breaking up with medical science and so we get the scene of NT4201 above. She's not infected with the virus but the virus can't reproduce inside her as well so its RNA just ends up floating inside her spouting nonsense that she's unworthy. (Don't listen to the voices NT4201-chan!)

Ok, now that you've read this chapter, don't forget to go and read _Realisations_!

Until next time!

* * *

Revision History:

\- Originally published on Nov. 3, 2018

\- Updated Chapter June 28, 2019


	11. Chapter 10: Heresy Grows From Idleness

**Chapter 10: Heresy Grows From Idleness**

Klaxons blared their haunting screams as NK, MT and a hundred strong platoon of Killer T cells raced their way along the thoracic duct that would lead them to a junction near the liver.

Other groups stationed in the lymphatic system were also rushing toward the main organ where sketchy reports indicated an entourage of macrophages led by Lady Em had revolted. Many, however, found the news appalling and insidious to mention the second highest rank macrophage in the world would even rebel. Several kill teams even requested confirmation for the validity of the report from headquarters, but so far, no response had been given.

Orders to subdue the archtraitor and her traitorous maids soon came from Commander Helper T in the Thymus headquarters. That had already been an hour ago and, after that, no more updates of the situation had been broadcast. Attempts to contact back HQ all failed with communication signals only blurting out static.

"This is insane!" yelled out KT who now goes by the name MT, or Memory T Cell, after being promoted to the position a day after their meeting with the Neurons in the Hypothalamus. "Have they all gone mad?"

Like the KT cells they were ordered to reinforce in the liver, MT's platoon now donned special black riot gear as well as riot shields and gladius swords. MT himself now sported black cyto-combat armor, heavy greaves, and boots. On top of that, he also wore a great coat with red epaulets to mark his rank, and a peaked officer's cap with the words, _MEMORY_ , etched at the front. Though he didn't hold any shield, he did wield a chainsword ready in hand.

NK didn't respond.

MT gave his jogging partner a look and saw her expression grim but apprehensive. Like everyone else in the adaptive immune system, she too had changed her wardrobe though not as pronounced and heavy as him and his squad. She still wore her usual black tank top, green shorts, and army boots, but now, she sported a chest plate on top of her shirt and a sleeveless long coat. In her hand, she no longer wielded her usual saber, but now a crackling power sword called _Libertas_.

"Hey," MT tried to call her out from her stupor. "You alright?"

NK gave him an annoyed look. "Tsch, yeah, yeah, I'm fine…"

MT's lips formed a frown as he rolled his eyes. "Oh for the love of… Could you stop beating yourself up fool? This is nobody's fault ok? Nobody screwed up, _YOU_ did not screw up!"

"Shut up! Just shut up!" she snarled at him, baring her teeth. "How many times should you bring this topic up?!"

"As many times as you remain stubborn," he shot back. "This is not the time to quench your ego by beating yourself for not preventing this revolt!"

"I'm not beating myself up!" she denied vehemently.

"Oh yeah? Then why are you always trying to get ahead of us?" he countered, scoffing. "We've been sprinting non-stop ever since we entered the thoracic duct just to keep up with you. You really that eager to fight the enemy?"

NK said nothing. Of all the muscle heads who happened to be with her when the alarm for all cells to move to the liver came, it had to be the one who irritated her the most.

This was not the first time they had this argument. For the past few days, whenever they meet, they would always end up with voices raised and faces smashed. She hated the fact that MT had started to become an annoyance who constantly bugs her on how she was doing her job. Of course, she'd respond in kind, but somehow, his words sting more than her fists.

She didn't want to admit it, but he was right. She was indeed harsh on herself for not able to find the enemy before they attacked. She couldn't help it. After all, it was her job to track down heresy before it could spread and she failed spectacularly.

Heresy grows from idleness, or so the hunter's creed profess.

And what's more, MT just won't stop trying to make her feel better by saying it was not her fault. This idiot just doesn't understand… As a hunter, she just can't drop this failure at all. This had now become personal, and she needs to atone herself at all cost.

But she couldn't admit that to the bloke jogging beside her hence their constant arguments.

"I'm a hunter. I work alone. I don't need a lecture on how fast I'm running from anyone especially from you."

He shook his head and sighed. "Fine, do whatever you want, but know that blaming yourself for this mess will not do you any good."

 _No, it will,_ she thought to herself.

Their group had now reached the T7 junction of the Thoracic spine region, and it would only be a couple more vertebrae before they reach the exit for the liver.

NK started to slow down her pace followed by MT and his team.

MT raised a hand and immediately, his team unsheathed their blades in preparation for combat.

A thick smog covered the road right after the T7 junction, and it looked like war had already claimed the place. Everywhere the grey smoke parted, signs of battle could be seen. The paved ground had cracked. Deep craters likely caused by explosion potted the landscape, and debris, blazed or charred, were scattered everywhere.

What's worse, however, was that pools of red cytoplasm painted wide swaps of the road, and yet something that should be any carnage was missing.

NK gripped the cold hilt of _Libertas_ tightly. Everywhere she looked, she could see the aftermath of a battle and yet, curiously, no corpses.

She didn't like it… She didn't like it one bit.

"Formation!" MT bellowed.

Immediately, his platoon moved to form a solid rectangular block that stretched from one end of the road to the other. It took twenty cells to form a tight row of interlocking shields five columns deep.

Every member of MT's platoon was a veteran who could take down multiple opponents at once. In fact, many had boasted that their ferocity in combat was already at par with the most skilled macrophages in the world and now they finally had the chance to prove such an assertion.

As for the two leading leukocytes, both NK and KT stayed out of the formation, choosing instead to remain by themselves on the front.

The unusual fog had started to thicken the more they trudged forward. Step by step, they advanced, and soon they heard the sounds of screams, shrieks, and howls upfront hidden inside the blanket of the fog.

"They're in front of us," MT voiced out to his platoon. "Stay sharp everyone, expect everything!"

NK could feel her sword arm itching for cytoplasm to be spilled. The shame of failing in her duties demanded atonement and not until the last mitochondria of her enemy ceased beating would she declare her debt repaid.

For a minute, they continued moving in silence. They saw more evidence of carnage, with hundreds of broken shields and swords littering the ground. A brutal battle had been fought here, and yet still there were no corpses of the fallen.

NK finally stopped in her tracks. MT also did the same as he immediately turned on his chainsword, producing its iconic whirring sound.

The KT formation also stopped in their tracks, planting their riot shields firmly on the ground to form an impenetrable line of defense.

The fog surrounding them swirled and swayed as if angry with their hubris to tread inside it.

NK narrowed her eyes. She could feel them now. Every organelle in her body screamed at her of the incoming massacre. Her cytoplasm boiled with righteous fury and it took her every willpower to restrain herself from charging aimlessly forward.

She heard muttering from behind. Various KT cells murmured prayers for blessings and protection to the Consciousness.

For a second, she closed her eyes and whispered a prayer for herself not for deliverance, but for her to be given the opportunity to slaughter as much of the enemy as she could.

"Brothers!" MT bellowed amidst the growling of his weapon. "Stand fast and true! The enemy approaches!"

His platoon roared in response.

"Do you want to live forever?!" he asked.

"NO!" they replied.

"Do you want to die of old age?!"

"NO!"

"Do you want to party in the liver after we win?!"

"Only if you sing, commander!" shouted someone from the ranks.

This got a hearty chorus of laughter from everyone including MT.

"Then by day's end, you will all be treated to my beautiful singing voice!"

Another bout of laughter from his subordinates.

NK paid no heed to MT's banter with his platoon. She focused all her senses at the fog as she now heard the thrumming of a hundred footsteps fast approaching.

This was it. She could finally start paying off her debt. The world would run red with the cytoplasm of her enemies, and it would all start here, at the T7 spinal vertebrae of the Thoracic region.

She opened her mouth and screamed.

"THEY'RE HERE!"

And NK finally saw what happened to the dead.

* * *

 **A/N:**

And we are finally back to NK and KT who is now called MT. Ok, so yeah, I actually made a boo-boo. I started this fic forgetting that Killer T Cell is already a Memory T Cell in the manga. Instead of updating the whole previous chapters, I just promoted him off-screen after their meeting with the Neurons. Of course, this is not how KT cells become Memory T cells so let's just say, MT's promotion was long overdue.

Anyways, NK and MT now sport new clothes here and since I'm a Warhammer 40k nerd, I made MT wear a Commissar's uniform and NK wear a sort-of Inquisitor-ish summer costume. Don't worry though, I'm commissioning an artwork to my artist friend (who did the cover for this) fanart for these two. XD

And speaking of art...

I've updated the book cover from a pic of Lady Macrophage in Space Marine armor to that of Lady Em in Terminator armor.

Unfortunately, FF is still stuck in 2009 so I can't upload the whole image here. Fortunately, I've uploaded the whole pic in photobucket so you can check the whole original by using the links below.

 **Note:** Remove the spaces and the dash '-', as well as the ( d a t ) changing a period, when pasting them in the url.

Lady Em in Terminator Armor: **h-t-t-p-s : / / tinyurl ( d a t ) c-o-m / ya8u2pgw**

Lady Macrophage in Space Marine Armor: **h-t-t-p-s : / / tinyurl ( d a t ) c-o-m / y8d87s7k**

If you still have problems with the links, send me a PM so I can personally give the link. ;)

Lastly, since I'm seeing that Lady Em is becoming popular (thank you all for the amazing reviews!), I just want to share that Lady Em is actually an actual macrophage in the Anime series. She's the one you always see in the beginning recap sipping tea with Lady Macrophage. I don't think we ever hear her name so I just called her Em.

Until next time everyone!

* * *

Revision History:

\- Originally published on Nov. 9, 2018


	12. Chapter 11: Grey Deliverance

**Chapter 11: Grey Deliverance**

The dead had come for the living.

An infected Killer T Cell, with half of his face blown off, lunged at NK, with all intention to rip out her throat.

She steadied her footing before meeting the incoming abomination with an upward slash of _Libertas_.

Cold iron met rotting membrane as she cleanly cut off the remaining half of his face, leaving only a mushy stump of cytoplasmic matter dangling on top of his neck.

NK then grabbed her opponent by the collar, throwing him to the side, before swinging her sword once again to end the existence of her next attacker.

"HOLD!" roared MT as he cut down rows upon rows of the undead with his chainsword. His eyes burned with rage, hating the fact that he would be the one to send his former comrade-in-arms into the afterlife. His weapon shrieked and howled every time its series of sharp teeth whirled right into an enemy's disgusting organelles. "HOLD THE LINE!"

Behind him, the horde of the damned smashed into the KT's shield wall with ruthless abandon. They pummeled and pushed on the KT line, with some even trying to reach into the gaps to claw at their enemy on the other side. They shrieked horrific sounds no living throat could even utter before the Killer T Cells on the front row ended them with a synchronized thrust of their gladius.

Still, the dead kept coming. Even as the first rank got butchered by the KT cells, immediately they were replaced by another batch of rotting abominations more ruthless and violent than before.

The horde of the damned was composed by an amalgamation of various cell groups that got infected. There were mauled normal cells missing all sorts of limbs in the mix as well as plagued neutrophils and zombie Killer T cells with glowing red eyes and sharp teeth. The veteran Killer T Cells looked at their former brethren with absolute disgust as the virus transformed them into grotesque monsters that should only be allowed to exist in nightmares.

MT pushed his roaring chainblade on an infected normal cell cutting him in half. Sticky cytoplasm burst out from his opponent's exposed organelles, showering him with crimson fluid.

He then proceeded to body slam a damned KT cell who had chunks of his membrane falling off. The undead immune cell staggered for a second before shifting his footing to lunge back at the KT leader.

MT didn't give the dead bastard any chance as he delivered a massive uppercut with his other free hand squarely on his diseased neck.

"Ultra-magnificent upper punch!" he roared.

The force of his blow completely obliterated the head of the dead KT cell into a burst of nucleus matter and cytoplasm.

"That's so lame!" NK laughed as she decapitated, skewered, and bludgeoned three opponents all at the same time. "You still give names to your punches?"

"Shut up!" MT growled with annoyance. "They are not punches, they are techniques!"

NK let out a sarcastic grunt before going back to the slaughter.

The constant shuffling and buckling of the undead horde had brought the two standing back to back. Dozens of their felled enemies surrounded them in a macabre circle as others vied their chances to attack them. The rest had moved to continue their assault against the KT shield wall were a heap of corpses also began to form in front of the formation.

An infected neutrophil with a missing eye climbed on top of one of his rotting compatriots and then proceeded to leap into the air to bypass the shield wall.

A Killer T cell on the first rank saw the incoming undead already too late, and he immediately got smacked to the ground by the infected neutrophil's sheer momentum. The KT cell roared as he tried to get his attacker away from him, but the neutrophil opened his wide gaping mouth and then proceeded to rip his throat out.

Other KT cells near him managed to skewer the infected neutrophil, but the damage was already done.

A gap on the shield wall had formed, and the undead horde immediately rushed toward the opening. The cell behind the fallen KT moved forward with his shield, but then he felt something gnawing on his feet. He looked down and saw the crazed neutrophil still kicking and biting off parts of his left boot. He let out a curse as he slammed the lower tip of his shield down directly on top of his enemy's neck, finally putting him out of his misery.

But that distraction ultimately cost him his life.

Before he could settle his footing, a burly infected KT cell who looked like a former veteran launched his whole body into his shield, toppling him over to the ground.

Again, the defense fell through, and the infected cells behind the undead veteran moved into the gap, and a number more of the shield wall got chipped off.

MT gritted his teeth as he watched the breach in the shield wall getting bigger.

"Hold the line!" he bellowed. "Hold the damned line!"

His platoon need not be reminded but still, they struggled, and already a few of their rank had fallen.

"NK, they need our help!" he growled at his partner.

"We have our own problems," NK responded. "The heavy hitters have arrived!"

On top of the heap of corpses that formed a circle surrounding them came two corrupted Natural Killer cells with long disheveled hairs and eyes thirsting for murder. Like NK, they wore black shirts and shorts, but their heads now donned spiky virus caps.

"Friends of yours?" MT asked.

NK felt her cytoplasm boiling with rage. It was bad enough to see immune cells getting infected, it was even worse to see her own kind fall as well.

"You help with the breach," NK replied. "I'll handle these two myself."

Her muscled partner didn't object. He just gave her a nod before moving on to save his platoon.

"Join usssssss, sisterrr..." one of the infected NKs hissed. Both pointed their sabers at her, vanishing all doubt that by 'joining' they actually meant death. "Stop serviiiinnnngggg this worllldddd… It doesssss not dessssserve your protectionnnn…"

"Save your breath traitors," NK snarled at them, disgust spitting out from her mouth... "You have been judged, and your sentence is death!"

Her corrupted sisters let out a horrifying cackle before they lunged forward toward her, rusted blades at hand. "We are already dead!"

 _Not dead enough._ NK thought before greeting her two counterparts with the cracking slashes of her power blade. The living clashed with the dead, and the three danced a tuneless rhythm of battle. Swings, thrusts, blocks, and bashes colored their spontaneous ballet as each tried to anticipate each other's move.

With NK's raged filled body, the blade in her hand felt like a natural extension of her arm. She swung it into loops, deflecting all attacks aimed at her organelles, before launching her own attacks again and again.

Her two opponents struggled. They snarled and shrieked horrors at her until they gradually synched their moves with hers. NK was the one leading their deadly dance, but they managed to defend when she attacked and attacked when she defends.

"You fighhhhtttt wellll, sissssterrrrr…" one of the infected NK slurred as NK parried her attack.

"Youuu wouulllddd beee a fine boon to Ladyyy Emmmmm's entouraaaaaaaggge…" added the other.

"My blade would be a fine boon to your necks!" NK countered.

The two infected cells hissed a laugh before lunging again toward her in a synchronized attack.

NK stood her ground. She never wavered, she never faltered. Even when surrounded by a horde of her enemies, she paid them no mind as she concentrated all her strength in murdering these two Natural Killer cells who have the gall to allow themselves getting infected.

She fought them with such intense ferocity that she finally surrendered herself to her primal instincts.

She was a Natural Killer, the world's ultimate hunter and harbinger of death. The macrophages may be good at everything, but NK was solely bred for the destruction of her enemies.

She could feel her primal urge to murder finally taking over her, and she welcomed it with all her being.

A minute passed, and their fight became frantic and raw. One of the infected NKs manage to slit her arm with her blade, while the other successfully landed a punch to her side, but she felt nothing.

Their hits meant nothing to her, only their utter destruction.

NK roared once again as she renewed her attack despite her injuries. All thoughts of tactics and strategy vanished, replaced only by her raw, unbridled fury.

She lunged. She attacked. She blocked. She countered. She attacked again. And again. And again. And again. And ag-

And then the first break.

One of the infected NK thrust her rusted sword at her to which NK parried with _Libertas_. Her opponent then coiled her sword to deliver another attack, but NK instead lurched forward, grabbing her sword arm with her free hand, then smashing her face with a headbutt.

Cytoplasm and cellular fluids spew out from the infected NK's mouth, and she fell to the ground with her pupils rolling up behind her upper eyelids.

NK then swirled to finish off her other opponent, but the second infected NK body slammed her from behind, crushing her down to the ground.

NK roared as she tried to get up, but then her opponent seized her arm from behind, twisting it into an uncomfortable angle while pinning her head down firmly by her opponent's knees

She snarled and cursed as she tried to claw her way out of the bind, but the remaining infected NK's hold on her was as firm and hard as calcium.

"Emmmmbbbbbraaaaacccccceeeee corrrrrupppptionnnnn, sisssssterrrrr…" she heard the gritting voice of her opponent.

"Nhhh…" she gritted her teeth as she tried to get up. "Never…"

The peripheries on her vision started to fade to black. The pressure in her head was immense, and she could feel her cyto-skull getting crushed.

This was becoming serious. Even with her vantage point being pinned down, she could still see MT busy protecting his platoon. A part of her wanted her to swallow her pride and scream for him to help her out. It would be a massive blow to her ego, but she'd be dead if she didn't.

Summoning her last strength, she opened her mouth to scream, but then she saw a corroded blade dangling in front of her eyes.

"Ittt'sssss ovvveeeeerrrrr…" her infected counterpart hissed as she raised her blade. "Welcoommme to theeee cluuuuubbbb…"

This was it… This was how she would end.

Amidst the chaos of corruption, she would be slain.

Alone, bested, and bitter.

But what's more terrible was the fact that she would die knowing she had miserably failed in the service of her duties.

The thought tore her deeply.

She would never get another chance… A humiliating death, pinned down on the ground and unable to move was the only death befitting for a failure like her.

One last time, she finally closed her eyes and waited for her end.

…

…

…

She snapped her eyes wide open.

The blade of her enemy never fell, but instead, her whole surrounding was blanketed by a blinding white light.

Her opponent shrieked with fear, and she could feel the pressure in her head and arm vanishing. The infected NK had stepped back from her and was trying to retreat.

Still lying on the ground, NK turned her head to look at her opponent and saw the reason for her sheer panic.

Right in front of her was deliverance clad in ashen grey dress, wielding a heavy machete with crimson cytosol dripping from its blade.

"L-Lady M-Macrophage?" NK blurted, still not believing that her former master had arrived to save her.

The mighty macrophage turned her head to look down at her former apprentice.

"Hello NK-chan," Lady Macrophage smiled a beaming smile. "Would you like to have tea with me after this debacle?"

* * *

 **A/N:**

Let me just start off by saying thanks to all those who have reviewed and sent PM's to me regarding this story. I really appreciate your encouragement and support!

So anyways, we finally see NK and MT in action. I also love writing these two especially when they constantly butt heads and yet still function as an incredible team when faced with a common enemy. Oh and Lady Macrophage finally reappears to save the day. This is getting more and more exciting!

Until next time!

* * *

Revision History:

\- Originally published on Nov. 16, 2018


	13. Chapter 12: The Burden of Command

**Chapter 12: The Burden of Command**

In his mind, he could see the whole world burning.

Sitting on his command dais towering over his staff members, Helper T Cell squirmed and sweat as streams of data flooded into his mind by way of his seer-helmet. He was no neuron, but his headgear, which was attached to long strands of wires connected to neural mainframes, fed him real-time updates on the multiple battles all coinciding across the world.

What he saw made him want to throw up.

Reports of defeat after defeat kept coming in and his command could barely handle the situation without breaking down. The command center buzzed with frantic activities of troop movements, losses, and desperate pleas for reinforcement. Everyone was at their limits especially when they gave orders to units in the field that they know would surely be their last.

Helper T clenched his hands like vise-grips on the sides of his chair as he tried to control himself from yanking his helmet out of his head.

"Unit 227, do you hear me?!" he shouted. "For crying out loud Unit 227 respond! Respond!"

He need not voice out the command. His seer-gear was more than enough to convey his thoughts, and yet he still couldn't help but switch to his audio interface to contact his teams on the field directly.

If those under him were indeed about to die, the last thing he could do as a commander was to hear their final screams before their doom.

"Damn it!" he slammed a hand into his armrest. "Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"

He could feel his mitochondria beating furiously inside his chest. Anger simmered inside his organelles.

 _Why?! Why have you forsaken us?!_

He let out a curse under his breath aimed at the _Consciousness_ for exposing their world to such a horrific virus in the first place. He could recall the mad antics of the neuron who chastised his colleagues for going 'overseas'. Personally, he didn't know what 'overseas' mean, but based on the hysterical reaction of the neuron, he could only surmise it was anything but good.

He inhaled a lungful of breath to calm himself.

How could the _Consciousness_ do this? From the moment he was taught in the Thymus academy, he was always reminded of the benevolence of the entity that governed their world. He was always thought to respect and sing praise to the one all cells in the world owed their existence.

 _It is better to die for the Consciousness than to live for yourself…_

Such were the words ingrained deeply into his mind, but would it really be better? He had seen hundreds of his friends bleed and perish with the name of the _Consciousness_ uttered in their final breath and yet the only gratitude ever shown for their selfless sacrifice was a passing remark in the Thymus registry of their serial numbers now available for reassignment.

Do they all mean nothing? Were they indeed just automatons like those _antibiotics_ the world often times receive?

Would an entity that 'knowingly' endanger the lives of trillions of individuals even deserve their reverence and praise?

He sniffed and realized his vision had started to go blurry. He thought his glasses had fogged up, but then he felt tears trickling down his eyes.

Helper T closed his eyes shut.

 _Why… Why is this all happe-_

He stopped mid-thought as he felt something warm pressing on him.

He opened his eyes and saw Regulatory cell leaning on his sitting position with her hand resting on his chest. Her smooth, rosy cheeks rubbed with his, and he could hear her soft breathing near his ears.

"Courage, my love," she whispered. "The world needs you at the helm with all your strength."

He felt his chest rising and falling with anger, but the tender touch of Regulatory cell abated some of it.

He closed his eyes again as he wrapped back his own arm around her waist. He needed this. He realized how badly he needed the warmth of the one cell he had formed a bond with.

"Thank you, Regulatory," he sighed. The rage inside him had cooldown low enough for him to gather his wits and form a more rational assessment of their situation. "Thank you."

Regulatory cell moved slightly away from him so that the two were now staring directly into each other.

Helper T swallowed as he felt shame for losing his cool when his partner was trying to remain composed despite the rapid destruction of the world.

Regulatory's face looked tired and spent. Her jeweled green eyes seemed to convey to him a sense of sadness and pain.

He averted his gaze from hers. "Regulatory, I..."

But she never gave him the chance to finish as she suddenly pressed her lips with his.

Helper T's eyes widened with surprise at the unexpected kiss. It came out of nowhere, and a hundred thoughts suddenly swirled inside his head.

But he ignored them all, pulling instead Regulatory closer. Her lips felt soft and sweet, and he savored them all in his response.

For a couple seconds, their world stopped moving. For just a brief moment of their lives, he allowed himself to experience the eternal bliss of their love. Nothing matters outside them… The world did not matter, the war did not matter.

Helper T cell wished they could stay like this forever. To hell with the _Consciousness_ and Lady Em. To hell with them all.

Only the two of them, wrapped in each other's loving embrace, with their tongues intertwining, mattered.

But alas, all good things must come to an end. Despite his desire not to care anymore on anything, his partner knew that would never happen.

Regulatory cell finally moved away from him, her face still flushed and red. Her chest rose and fell in a synchronized rhythm with her panting. A strand of her bangs fell down from her forehead, covering her left eye, and giving her a tired but seductive pose.

Helper T cell also heaved lungfuls of air to catch his breath. He could feel his mitochondria now booming in his chest from his partner's sudden kiss.

"That should help you to calm down my love," she placed a hand on his seer-helm, giving him a faint smile. "Do not lose hope, I will always be here by your side."

Helper T adjusted his glasses as he smiled back. "Forgive me Regulatory, I just… I just lost myself for a bit."

"I know your burden is heavy," she whispered. "But you are not alone… I will help you carry some of the weight."

"Thank you," he nodded, his eyes once again started to tear up.

He was never a firm believer in fate despite the multiple lectures from Lady Macrophage. However, if such a thing as fate does exist, then he was truly grateful that, of all the trillions of cells living in this world, he was able to meet the one he could fall in love.

A stream of urgent thoughts suddenly buzzed inside his head, notifying him of an incoming call. The augmented display in front of him indicated the source of the call, and it took all the self-control he had not to rip out his headgear and murder the cell on the other line.

Regulatory saw he now needed to focus back on his work, and so she stepped aside to leave him be.

Helper T cell sucked in a mouthful of breath to calm himself down before he pressed a button on the side of his seer-helm to activate the vox line.

"Dendritic cell, you bastard," he fumed. "Where the hell have you been?!"

-0-0-0-

 _ **One Hour Ago...**_

His hands dripped with crimson cytoplasm and behind him lay the corpses of his former allies.

They never suspected a thing. To them, they thought he was still one of them, a cell bound by the fate to serve a tyrannical entity who abuse and mistreats those it ruled.

But now, no more. He was now liberated and free to pursue his own desires and the feeling of betraying those who called him a 'friend' only made him widened his lips to form one sinister grin.

He was chosen… They were not.

He had ascended… They had not.

"This is how to live life!" he laughed. "Won't you agree my dear?"

Beside him lay a wounded KT cell with pink hair knotted into pigtails. Cytoplasm had pooled around a gashing wound on her side.

The dying immune cell wheezed for air, but with her back broken, she could no longer move or feel her legs.

In a few more minutes, she would be dead.

He knew that.

In fact, it was he who had inflicted the fatal blow even though she did put up a good fight. Admittedly, she had proven to him that he was definitely out of shape considering that she did manage to scratch a tiny slither on his cheek. Still, he bested her despite the help of her comrades.

"Bastard… You will not get away from this!" she growled through seethed teeth. "We will kill you!"

"Yes, yes, even at the point of death you lot are still incredibly stubborn," he dismissed her with a wave of his hand. "For once, think rationally and join the winning side!"

He knelt down beside her as he yanked her hair to her back to force her to look at him in the eye. "What do you say, my dear? Would you want to joi-"

She spat out a globule of cytoplasm directly into his face. "Never! Just kill me and be done with it! I'll never join you!"

He stared directly into the eyes of the dying KT cell. The sight of her defiant face only made him shiver with excitement.

"You know, for someone about to die, you certainly have a rather poor choice of words," he pulled out a small dagger from tucked on one of his boots, placing it beside her. "I will not be the one to kill you…"

The downed KT immediately grabbed the blade with her hand and proceeded to take a swing at her attacker.

He merely seized her wrist to stop the knife in midair.

"Unhand me!" she snarled as she tried to pull out her arm from his grip. "There's a special place for traitors like you, Dendritic cell!"

The mention of his name made him chuckle. That was what he was called back when he was still a slave to a tyrant.

Yes, he was a dendritic, an antigen-presenting cell who acts as a messenger between the adaptive and innate immune system. He also holds the key for activating immune cells and boosting their powers for a short period.

However, aside from his work, he also had another function, one that he had never used before until now…

"As I said, my dear, I will not be the one to kill you, I will give the honors to yourself."

He leaned close to her ears as he started to whisper.

"KT cell… Kill yourself."

Suddenly, she felt her body stiffened. To her horror, her hand moved on its own, pointing the dagger directly into her eyes. She tried to claw open her fingers to drop the knife down to the floor, but her hand simply refused to obey her orders.

She stared at the blade's tip and finally felt fear taking all over her.

"No…" she muttered, shaking her head. "Bastard! What are you making me do?!"

Her hand began to tremble. She mustered all her arm's strength to resist at whatever control Dendritic cell had on her, but her hand remained firm, and her neck had frozen still so she couldn't evade.

Dendritic cell gave her one big smile before standing up to walk away from her.

The last thing he'd heard was a loud, terrifying screech followed by a sudden eerie silence.

* * *

 **A/N:**

And we finally get to see our third and final couple in the story. The good thing about Helper T and Regulatory is that they're just honest with their feelings, unlike a certain tsundere couple who just couldn't be bothered to show some little honesty. ^^

And speaking of that tsundere couple, we have another artwork from my friend ToxicStar and this time, his work showcases NK and MT with new outfits from Warhammer 40k. NK in the pic is supposed to be an Inquisitor while MT is definitely a Commissar in an apparent homage to CIAPHAS CAIN! HERO OF THE IMPERIUM!

Oh, and another good news! I've now uploaded the first chapters and a gallery on Wattpad yey!

If you wish to look at a larger copy of the book covers I used, I suggest going to **Wattpad** , and search my name, **ViktorChild** in the search box. You should be able to see my published stories. If you can't find it, just give me a PM and I shall give to you the link. ^^

Lastly, an announcement... For the Christmas month of December, I will only be releasing one chapter for this story and one other surprise for later in the month. XD Just stay tune for more updates. XD

* * *

Revision History:

\- Originally published on Dec. 5, 2018


	14. Chapter 13: The Greatest Disappointment

**Chapter 13: The Greatest Disappointment**

Lady Em felt the warm tip of her teacup touching her lips before sipping down the dark reddish liquid down her throat. The Earl Grey tasted sweeter and more lemony than usual.

"Mmm…" she hummed with pleasure, taking a couple more sips from her teacup before putting it down on the table. "Such, taste… Such, aroma… Nothing beats a warm cup of tea after a battle, won't you agree lieutenant?"

Her tea partner responded with a pained wet groan.

Sitting across her from the round table was a badly beaten Killer T Cell missing an arm and a parasitic virus clinging firmly on his head. The once legendary blade master now looked like a monstrosity of his former self. Milky white fluid fully covered his eyes and crimson cytoplasm drooled down from his unhinged jaw as he kept making low growling noises.

"Exactly," she nodded as if understanding all the incoherent sound the former blade master was making. "Though, regrettably, we fought on the opposite sides instead of fighting a common foe."

She then made a quick glance to her sides to look at a vast swath of corpses strewn all over the devastated plaza she had chosen to enjoy her break. True, the middle of a battlefield was the last place one would even think of sipping tea, but it didn't bother her at all. In fact, the rustic smell of spilled cytosol permeating from the ground only added a macabre ambiance to her recess.

As if angered by her hubris of having a tea break while the world around her burn, multiple explosions boomed at the direction of the liver's entrance where the bulk of her newly risen undead horde battled the remaining loyalist stragglers who were forming a hasty defense inside the main organ. The survivors of the blade master's shattered battalion continue to put up a strong resistance hoping to slow down her advance until reinforcements would arrive.

Unfortunately for them, there would be none.

She'd personally made sure of it.

Her table trembled after each explosion, but she ignored all the danger posed by her near proximity from the battle and instead, continued to drink and enjoy her break.

"I must say, there is just something in tea that I find captivating," she continued, addressing her guest sitting across the table. "It's one of my favorite past times and I most definitely got the fondness for it from my _beloved_ master."

The undead blade master growled as if to concur her musings.

She paused. The thought of her master made her lips arched into an even wider grin.

"Ah yes, speaking of my master…" she quipped while changing the subject. "I wonder… How is she all reacting to the news of my betrayal? Shocked? Flabbergasted? Disgusted?"

A chill ran down her back at the thought of her master expressing all these negative emotions in her immaculate face. Truth be told, she felt no remorse or even a tinge of regret from completely turning her back from the cell she called master.

Her hand then moved to pick up the necklace dangling on her neck, as she lowered her head to look at it.

With a pinch of the locket's lock, it then opened to reveal a picture of her younger self with long flowing brown hair standing beside a taller, older maid who also sported the same long hazel-brown hair.

For a second, she wondered if the sight of her younger self standing beside her master, both smiling as if sharing a private joke, would spark any hint of guilt, but it only made her feel even more amused and determine to meet with her master in battle and beat her.

"My Lady Macrophage…" she whispered with glee. "My perfect master…"

Lady Macrophage, the strong.

Lady Macrophage, the incorruptible.

Lady Macrophage, the most adored.

She was loved by all cells in the world. Erythrocytes sing praises to her name, young myelocytes aspire to be as great as her, and platelets would flock to her to seek her affection and kindness.

But amidst all her master's greatness, she was, like the rest of the unliberated, blind.

In all of her master's perfection, she had been blinded to the truth that each cell in their world was bound to a life of slavery, ultimately barring them to pursue their destiny.

A curious thought floated inside her head, suggesting to her that maybe, just maybe, her complete eagerness to betray her master was due to a sense of jealousy. Perhaps she resented the one cell that raised her up because she knew she would never surpass her greatness even after she was gone.

The thought made her chuckle as she vanished it back to the back of her mind.

Her? Jealous?

Nonsense. She had already entertained such a thought before and felt it did not hold any truth.

True, if there were anyone that had the chance to surpass her master, then it would be her, Lady Macrophage's greatest apprentice and inevitable successor. Amongst the hundreds of students the great phagocyte had taken under her wing, she was the one that excelled above all.

She had fought at her side on brutal campaigns that saw the deaths of millions against abominations that defied the imaginations. On one battle that involved the complete annihilation of a Staphylococcus Aureus invasion, she managed to slither the throat of the Staphylococcus matriarch who had managed to pin down her master with her tentacles. In turn, her master saved her from getting butchered by the swift retaliation of the matriarch's royal guards.

Aside from their shared time in battle, she also had the privileged to be her master's favorite tea partner. In times of peace, they would enjoy lazy afternoons where they discuss philosophy, politics, and the intricacies of cell life, all while enjoying each other's company with a cup of tea. At night, they would both watch the dream-movies being broadcast by the subconscious whenever the world descends into REM sleep.

It was already a given that she would become the greatest successor of the greatest macrophage who had ever lived…

But now? She had suddenly become her master's greatest failure.

"But alas, to my master, I must be a disappointment," she shook her head in mock regret. "Nay, her greatest disappointment. After all, I plunged the world into fire and debauchery. Wouldn't you agree, dearest lieutenant?"

As expected of an undead, the badly beaten Killer T cell only let out a grunt while lolling his head from right to left.

It was obvious for any observer that the blade master was now nothing more than an empty husk, a rather unholy desecration of his former self but it still amused her to keep him around as company.

"Well, you probably might be right," she nodded at the incoherent sound her former foe was making. "Being the greatest disappointment could be an achievement in on itself."

"On that note, I agree," a voice from her side said. "But in my humble opinion, you were already a great disappointment long before your grand rebellion."

She laughed as she turned her head toward the direction of the voice and saw a fellow macrophage wearing glasses and her white maid dress drenched with the stains of her enemies' cytoplasm.

The newcomer gave her a defiant grin, almost goading at her to attack. An unladylike expression, she noted, but then they had already freed themselves from arbitrary rules that shackled them from their destinies.

"Si," she said her name bare of any honorifics.

"Em," the maid with glasses quipped back.

Typically, if it were any of her subordinates that tried to casually call her by her name without any titles, she would have already flogged them for contempt. However, as it turns out, the battle maid at her side was no subordinate of hers, but an equal, though she still kept the title as the _first among equals_.

Of the hundreds of apprentices under their great master, ten had been chosen to rise above all others to serve as generals of the vast phagocyte army. These ten consisted of only the best and most trusted of Lady Macrophage's students, and they have shed off their serial numbers so as to be given letter-names that would spell out MACROPHAGE when placed in the correct order.

As such, being the first among equals, Lady Em's name denotes the first letter 'M' and Lady Si's name denotes the third letter 'C'. The rest of their general-sisters, who were launching their own assaults on the other parts of the world, also followed the same letter-name schemes.

"Now that I think of it," she continued. "I might have overestimated the degree of disappointment I may have incurred to our former master now that I've considered you in the calculus."

"As usual, big words that don't mean a lot." Lady Si countered, still maintaining her grin. "If we are to be equals, and you are the first among equals, then that would mean you are the first among all our master's disappointments."

Lady Em stood up and then proceeded to embrace her glasses-wearing peer.

"It is good to see you alive sister," she told her, hugging her tightly despite the cytoplasmic stains on her dress. "Tell me, how was the battle? I lost track of you immediately when I fought one on one with our dear lieutenant."

She tilted her head to the side, indicating to the one-armed KT cell sitting across the table.

"Ah, so that explains why you are chatting with the undead." Lady Si smiled. "An odd gesture, but one that I've already expected coming out from you."

"It is the least I could do for a worthy opponent," she answered. "And I'm sure for a fact you've done odder things during the battle, yes?"

Lady Si gave her a sheepish look. "Well, I infected an erythrocyte with the virus, called another dim-witted erythrocyte that she's a sickle cell, threw a little platelet into the abyss, and finally spared a neutrophil from death so he could fulfill his destiny. Does this sound odd to you?"

Lady Em stared at her friend for a couple of seconds before bursting into laughter.

"How do you…" she tried to speak despite uncontrollable giggles. "How do you even infect an erythrocyte? They are enucleated!"

"Well she won't be a carrier, that's for sure," the glasses wearing macrophage stage as a matter of fact. "But I doubt she'd be able to maintain her sanity for long with the virus' DNA floating inside her."

"And you told another red blood cell she's a sickle cell?" Lady Em continued, still unable to control her glee. "That's just impossible! Such a disease is genetic!"

"I can't help it…" Lady Si shrugged. "That idiot red blood cell was practically screaming to be bullied, and I just blurted out whatever nonsense that came up on my mind at that time."

"Utterly diabolical," the archtraitor marveled. "I envy you had the liberty to pursue your own whims while the battle was raging. Consciousness knows how many of our sisters could have perished as a consequence of your absence…"

Lady Si narrowed her eyes as she widened further her grin. "Does that upset you Em? That I followed on my whims instead of your plan?"

For the briefest of seconds, Lady Em felt the urge to rip out the glasses-wearing maid's throat with her bare hands. She knew all too well her friend was goading her to strike, to tempt her to draw first blood. She also knew that if anyone would do the same provocation as she did would already be dead even before they could open their mouths to explain.

An open defiance? A declaration of challenge to her leadership?

Lady Em shook her head nonchalantly, dismissing all such thoughts. "Not at all. The battle was already won even before it started."

Then, before Lady Si could respond, she placed her hand on her shoulder as she leaned in closer to her face. "There was nothing for me to worry for I know you and I have seen the truth, and our destinies point to the same path."

The glasses wearing maid stared back at her before taking a step back to give her a slight bow. "As expected from the first among equals, you know me far too well, Em."

Lady Em nodded in acknowledgment. She extended a hand toward her. "We have fought many battles together, sister. Our bonds had been forged through the cytoplasms of our enemies. There is no secret among us. Your destiny is aligned with mine… Let us then pursue to fulfill what we've embarked on achieving."

"Aye, sister." Lady Si clasped her hand on the wrist, as was the customary handshake of warriors. "We are liberated, we are free. Let's become even bigger disappointments for our dearest master."

* * *

 **A/N:**

This chapter just went into edit hell. Actually, the majority of the chapter was already done on the first week of Jan, but it took a much longer time to finalize it due to constant edits and remakes. The scene on the beginning might have been modified ten times before it was finalized. The reason for this was because this chapter was not really part of the original outline. I initially never thought of a scene where Lady Em drinks tea in the middle of a battlefield, but this scene was so in her character that I just have to include it.

In addition, this chapter was also the best time to introduce the identity of the deranged glasses-wearing macrophage who bullied AE-3803 and started toying U-1146. I admit, I just let Lady Si do her thing when I try writing her, and this was one of the reason why I just allowed her to spout out idiocy like telling AE she's a sickle-cell. Her antics actually almost made me paint myself into a corner.

Still, she's really fun to write and we'll definitely see more of her in the later chapters.

Anyways, happy new year to all!

* * *

Revision History:

\- Originally published on Jan. 22, 2019


	15. Chapter 14: You Failed, But It's Not You

**Chapter 14: You Failed, But It's Not Your Fault**

NK trudged on a sea of corpses.

Everywhere she looked she saw bodies of the infected strewn everywhere mangled and butchered by her party beyond recognition. The ground ran red with cytoplasm oozing out from the fallen's mortal wounds, forming puddles that soon coalesced to cover the whole paved ground of the lymphatic road. Each step she took sent ripples of crimson ichor like she was walking on top of a sweat pool. The stench of death flaring in her nostrils made her want to vomit, but she endured the putrid smell.

This was what she wanted, this was what she needed to achieve redemption.

The stain on her honor for failing to stop the archtraitor's rebellion could only be cleansed with the utter annihilation of her enemies.

She stopped walking to look down on one dead infected KT cell missing her lower half. Her face was locked into a perpetual scream, with her unhinged jaw stretched to impossible proportions. NK stared into her pupil-less eyes, and she saw pure hatred and unfulfilled rage.

 _I will destroy you._ She thought to herself. _All of you._

This was the only path to redemption, this was the only way she could ever forgive herself.

And yet…

Despite the hundreds of slithered throats, smashed heads, and butchered bodies, the carnage she unleashed was still not enough.

Still. Not. Enough.

She checked her chronometer and, to her surprise, the battle only lasted less than five minutes.

Her brows furrowed with confusion. She could have sworn it dragged on for much longer than what her time indicated.

She started recalling each opponent she fought, noting each movement her enemy made before she delivered the kill.

She shook her head. It doesn't really matter. The battle might have stretched for eternity or have ended in a blink of an eye, it still didn't change the fact that she almost died without fulfilling her oath.

The cold rusting blade of the infected NK kissing the membrane on her neck still sent shivers down her back.

She should have died then and there. She should have died unredeemed and a failure despite her burning promise to atone for her mistake, but by the grace of the Consciousness, she did not.

Before her fallen counterpart could slither her throat, deliverance came donning the mantle of ghosts and vanquishing her opponent with the swift judgment of her cleaver-sword.

Once again she owed her life to her master and her retinue of elite battle maids.

Her knuckles curled into tight fists. Another blow to her honor, another debt she needed to pay.

"You're blaming yourself again," a low voice from behind called out to her.

She turned to look at the owner of the voice, and her expression immediately turned into a scowl.

"And of course, you just have to meddle with other cell's business?" She rolled her eyes with annoyance. MT stood in front of her drenched with red cytoplasm from head to boots. "What are you? An overly concerned macrophage?"

MT looked straight at her in the eyes without blinking. His expression had turned grim. "I've said it before, and I'll say it again… This is not your fault."

"And now you've started assuming that I'm blaming myself?" She crossed her arms. "What are you? An overly excited neuron? You don't even know what I'm thinking."

"I don't need to," he pointed a finger directly toward her face. "You're an open book. You're so easy to read."

A flash of red bloomed on her cheeks. She opened her mouth to utter a comeback, but no words formed in her lips.

"Well… I... " she brushed his hand away. "You're so annoying!"

"If it means reminding you to focus on the enemy instead of sulking around at the affront on your honor, then yes… I'll continue to-"

"Oh, would you just shut up!" she shouted. "I don't need you to tell me what to do… You don't have the right to tell me what to do!"

"Yes I do!" he shouted back. This time, MT didn't back down. He took a step forward so that he now loomed over the feisty Natural Killer. "I do have the right!"

"Yeah?" she challenged him. She trudged directly in front of him so that their noses almost touched. Their eyes locked in an intense stare. Both held their ground, both didn't blink. "By what right do you have to tell me on what to do?!"

"By right as your friend!" MT snarled.

NK's eyes went wide open. Her jaws slacked as she tried to process what MT just said. Once again, she could feel a sudden rush of cytoplasm rushing toward her cheeks, and she could hear her mitochondrion beating wildly.

In her mind, she already had a comeback for the annoying muscular Memory T cell. She would have made a scene and then remind him of his place, or she'd beat it deep into his nucleus. But for all the responses she thought MT would give her, it never occurred to her at all that he would blatantly tell her that she was his friend.

There was no trick or any traces of deception on what he'd said. It was the truth, and she had no words to counter him. For a moment, her mind went completely blank, unable to respond.

"Ara? What is with this intense atmosphere I feel emanating from you two?" a soft, curious voice called out to both to them.

Almost like clockwork, both stepped back, immediately breaking up their locked gazes, as they pretended nothing had happened.

NK blinked a couple of times before raising her head to look toward the newcomer and saw a maid in an ashen grey dress, her lips curved into a beaming smile.

"I trust everything is well?" Lady Macrophage queried.

"Uh y-yes, milady, there's nothing wrong," NK blurted as she forced out a chuckle.

The battle maid nodded before turning her attention toward the muscled Memory T cell.

"All's good milady, we were just having a 'friendly' chat," MT responded in a low, tired voice.

Lady Macrophage held her smile. "Both of you have grown up so fast. Why I still remember like it was still yesterday when both of you were training so hard to pass your physical exams back in the Thymus Academy."

Both immune cells stared down on the floor as they shifted uncomfortably from where they stood. None dared tried to add anything to the battle maid's reminiscence for fear of divulging more embarrassing tidbits of their younger selves.

Lady Macrophage didn't seem to notice the awkward silence suffocating the mood in the air as she continued. "Though I must say, MT-kun, I'm pleasantly surprised to see the former Naive T cell who keeps on crying to become such a successful and strong Memory T Cell."

MT's face burned hot red with embarrassment. He curled his hands into tight fists just to steady himself. "Uh, that was… That's already old news, milady… I'm… I'm already matured and stronger than I was before."

"Yes, I most certainly agree." The leader of the macrophages concurred. "I'm very proud to have been one of your instructors albeit it was only for a short time."

MT's lips formed into a smile as he felt genuine kindness in her words. "T-Thank you, milady."

Then, something frantic blurted out on one of the side pockets of his trousers. MT quickly fished out his hand-held radio which was spouting out static.

"Uh, please excuse me, milady," he bowed his head in apology as he started to step away from her. "I need to take this,"

Lady Macrophage gave him a nod before turning her gaze toward her former apprentice. "And as I've said before, NK-chan, you have grown to become such a strong and independent cell."

"Uh yeah, sure..." NK shifted even more uncomfortably, hating every second of her being the topic of the conversation.

"And I'm so proud to see you being able to stand your ground against this regrettable onslaught of our former comrades."

"Don't be," she blurted out and immediately cursed herself for uttering it out.

Lady Macrophage tilted her head into a questioning look. "You fought splendidly against a fight between your peers and-"

"How could you say that?" NK interrupted her. "I… I lost that fight! You, you have to muddy yourself and intervene just to save my life! I didn't fight splendidly at all!"

Lady Macrophage stared at her former apprentice. Her lips curved to form a subtle smile as she waited for NK to continue.

"I failed, milady," she finally confessed the feelings of guilt that had tormented her these past few days. "As a hunter, I should have found this rebellion beforehand and stopped Lady Em from ever reaching to this point. I failed, and this is my fault."

"There is no way to have stopped my first apprentice from rebelling," the older phagocyte added. There was no trace of any bitter resentment in her voice, not even a hint of regret. Instead, she sounded almost fascinated by her successor's betrayal. "It was Em-chan's choice to rebel… It was the destiny she chose."

"Even still, I should have found traces of her infection!" NK countered, this time more forcefully. "Milady, I'm… I'm a fail-"

But before NK could finish her sentence, Lady Macrophage wrapped her hands around her, hugging her tightly, pressing her chest on her face. NK's master moved so fast she didn't even see her coming.

As if acting on instincts, NK tried to yank herself away, but the elder battle maid pressed a hand on the back of her head that kept her on her place.

"There, there," Lady Macrophage cooed as she stroked her fingers down her raven black hair. "It's alright."

NK gritted her teeth as her vision started to blur. She didn't deserve this… She didn't deserve the kind words of her master.

For what felt like a minute, both didn't move from their place. The older phagocyte continued stroking her apprentice's hair even though it only made NK feel even more guilty.

"Milady, I…"

Then Lady Macrophage muttered something in her ear that made her membrane crawl.

"You are right NK-chan, you failed horribly in your duty," Lady Macrophage whispered cooly.

NK's face turned ashen white. Again she tried to pull away from her master's grip, but she realized she couldn't move.

"Ah, ah, ah… We are not done yet, NK-chan," the elder battle maid sang cheerfully despite the dire meaning behind her words. "Allow me to part some wisdom to you, you wretched worm… There are only two kinds of cells that I despise in this forsaken world… The first are those who are unwilling to grab or even search for their own given destinies and the second are those who committed the sin of failure."

NK didn't dare utter a sound. She didn't even dare breathe and risk her master's anger. She'd heard tales of Lady Macrophage's wrath, but she always assumed them to meant of her savagery in combat. She never thought her soft-spoken mentor was capable of this form of subtle terror.

"You failed, NK-chan," the elder battle maid repeated. "And you are correct, failure is a sin that can only be atoned in death be it yours or the enemy."

NK pushed herself to muster enough courage to respond. "I-I understand, milady and-"

"No, you don't." Lady Macrophage immediately cut her off. "You may be right about failing, but you are wrong to say this is your fault."

Then, NK sensed the touch of her master's hands had eased. She could now move away from Lady Macrophage's embrace but decided to remain still.

"Please do not err in thinking this heresy is somehow your fault." the older phagocyte continued. "If you must bare your hatred on one individual, then aim it solely on Em-chan, my brightest and most beloved apprentice."

NK's cytoplasm boiled with raged at the mention of the archtraitor's name. For the past few days, she followed the trail of the traitors only for it to suddenly run cold when it ended on an alleyway full of desecrated corpses of dead immune cells that were sent ahead of her to investigate the reports of a viral infection. Many of those lying on the ground, with their organelles bulging out from their membranes, were colleagues and friends of hers back in the Thymus academy.

Finally, NK moved away from her master's embrace, taking a step back, as she straightened herself to stand in attention. This time, her eyes burned with renewed purpose. "I swear to you milady, by my life, I shall offer you the head of Lady Em."

"You will do no such thing," Lady Macrophage smiled, showing off her immaculate white teeth. It was not a friendly smile nor did it contain any of its usual warmth and assurance. "Anyone who does will be my enemy, and I shall visit such destruction on him that he will rue the day he took away my kill."

NK gulped realizing once again she'd spoke out of turn.

"Em-chan's head is mine." the elder battle maid's lips widened into a sinister grin. "I will be the one to end her. It is my destiny."

NK inhaled deeply before nodding. "Understood milady. I shall atone for my failure with the cytoplasm of our enemies, but I shall leave the head of the archtraitor to your pleasure."

This time, Lady Macrophage's smile softened into the usual one that radiated kindness instead of despair. "I expect nothing less from you, NK-chan."

"Milady!"

Both turned to look at Memory T cell who appeared visibly shaken. Sweat dripped down his forehead, and his shoulders rose and dropped each time he breathed. On one of his hands, he held a radio that kept on spurting chittering static.

"Yes, MT-kun? What is it?"

"It's… It's terrible!" the muscled lymphocyte exclaimed, his nostrils flaring. "I just received a report from the Thymus… The Thymus has…"

"Just spit it out MT," NK snarled, a tinge of irritation coated her voice. "We don't have all day!"

MT ignored her barb as he drew in a deep breath before bellowing. "Thymus HQ is under siege! Dendritic cell has turned traitor and is now besieging the Thymus HQ!"

* * *

 **A/N:**

Sometimes I'm more afraid of characters that are always smiling than those who are always angry. Now we finally see where Lady Em got her serial-killer smile from. XD

Anyways, I'm back! Well, that was a long break from my fanfic. Don't worry, I'm still writing this fic, it's just that I was 100% working-mode for the whole month of February and it took me the whole month of March to bring myself back to writing again.

It's so nice to be writing again!

* * *

Revision History:

\- Originally published on March 31, 2019


	16. Chapter 15: Interlocking Fates

**Chapter 15: Interlocking Fates**

NK had seen countless times of her muscled counterpart shaken and bewildered in the past. In fact, MT was once known as the 'fountain' back in the day due to his predisposition to cry when afraid or confronted with challenging adversity, although only a few know now of such a moniker.

And yet, what NK saw in his eyes right now was not fear…

It was terror… Plain. Awful. Terror.

"Are you really certain?!" NK asked forcefully as if asking again would yield a more digestible answer. "This is not something to joke about!"

MT turned his gaze at her, his brows furrowed, and his expression twisted into a frustrated snarl. "I am not joking damn it! I'm telling the truth! Dendritic has turned traitor and is attacking the Thymus!"

He waved his handheld radio in front of him as if for emphasis.

"If the Thymus falls," he continued, his voice now low almost like a growl.

"Then you can kiss the immune system goodbye," NK added, shaking her head with disbelief. Her nucleus still tried to deny what her mitochondrion already knew. Her annoying jacked-up friend was not lying, and there was no point in denying the truth.

The Thymus was an essential component of the world. It was in this lymphatic gland that the immune system's HQ was located, as well as the academy that train thymocytes in becoming matured KT cells. If Commander Helper T cell fell, then the war against the traitors would truly be lost.

The thought made her insides turned ice-cold.

As if looking for some guidance, NK made a quick glance to her side and saw her master wearing once again her usual mask of a cheerful smile as if unperturbed by the severity of the news. Lady Macrophage's face looked like a carved statue, never betraying any hint of emotion despite her inherent beauty.

"I see," the elder phagocyte slowly nodded her head.

Then Lady Macrophage's lips arched to form a concerning frown, finally breaking her cheery facade.

"That is very troubling," Lady Macrophage quipped as she bowed her head low. She placed a hand under her chin as if in deep thought of the ramifications of MT's report.

An uneasy silence descended upon the wrecked street. Both NK and MT stood quietly, not daring to disturb their mentor's contemplation.

Then a smile slowly crept back on the elder battle maid's lips. She looked up, her face lit up with her usual cheer. "It is regrettable that Dendritic-kun would choose the same fate as that of my apprentice."

She paused, and immediately the hairs on NK's back started to tingle. It only was a fleeting moment, but NK could see a flicker of fury burning in her master's eyes. For a second, NK felt her cold murderous intent emanating from her, and a second later, it was gone.

"Such a pity that he too must be eliminated with extreme prejudice." Lady Macrophage concluded.

For the briefest of moments, NK saw just how her master used subtle changes in her expressions as a way to give more emphasis to her words or actions. It was not that the elder battle maid was incapable of having a wide range of expressions, rather, she chooses to guard her emotions tightly until the last moment where she finally shows it with great effect.

Her insides started to churn as a realization suddenly dawned on her. She shuddered at the thought of how furious her master must have been when she chastised her for her self-loathing.

"Has Helper T-kun called for a general retreat to the Thymus?"

"No milady," MT shook his head. "However, Helper T is asking any unit that could quickly move back to reinforce the Thymus."

Lady Macrophage turned her gaze toward her entourage of battle maids, then at MT's platoon, before turning back to stare at the Memory T-cell. "We are far from the Thymus. Even if we take the spinal highway, our large gathering of cells would be hard-pressed in moving with all due haste."

MT opened his mouth to respond, froze, then closed it back again as he realized the elder battle maid had more to add.

"As much as I want to personally deal with Dendritic-kun's fate," Lady Macrophage continued. "Alas, I must decline considering my initial mission to retake the liver takes precedence over anything-"

"You don't need to go back milady," NK interrupted without any hesitation. "I'll go back to the Thymus and murder that Dendritic bastard."

And then, as if already anticipating her muscled partner's response, she turned her gaze over to him to give him a defiant look. "And I'll do it alone."

"Are you insane?!" MT roared, just as she expected. His hands curled into tight fists as if trying to curtail his anger. "Are you really that eager to die?!"

"Why not?" NK countered. "I hunt alone, I don't have a team, and I don't-"

"Apologies NK-chan," Lady Macrophage interjected. "But I'm afraid I cannot accede to you confronting Dendritic-dono alone."

NK turned to look back at her master, her face squirmed with surprise and confusion. "But milady, I…"

"Do not mistake my refusal to acquiesced to your decision as the same as doubting your abilities to work alone." the elder battle maid stated sternly. Her face still wore the facade of a cheerful macrophage gossiping during tea time, but the tone of her voice now carried the gravitas of her position. "I have full confidence of your abilities to perform your destiny. However…"

Lady Macrophage allowed her words to hang for several seconds as if to emphasize the gravity of their meaning. She then closed her eyes as she inhaled deeply.

NK's first instinct was to mount a rebuttal, to remind her master that even she had no authority to tell her on what to do, but instead she conjured up all her self-restraint to hold her tongue.

"However, it is not only your fate that is destined to be in the Thymus in the next hour." The elder battle maid said at last.

"Wait, your reason for not allowing me to go alone is because of someone else's fate?!" NK growled, unable to contain her disbelief. "Milady, I don't have time for your beliefs in 'fate'. The Thymus is under attack! I need to be there now!"

NK never took her master's deep belief in fate seriously. She always thought of it as nothing but a fancy topic to be discussed during tea breaks. Her master once lectured her that fate didn't mean that their lives were already determined, or it was necessarily given by some higher providence. Rather, fate was a journey of an individual searching for her purpose in life as well as her acceptance to do everything in her power to achieve such a purpose.

NK had reservations of such a concept, even noting to her master that as cells, they already had pre-determined roles to act on. A red blood cell cannot become a neutrophil, and no mortal cell could ever rise up in rank to become a benevolent neuron. The elder battle maid then told her that such an understanding of fate was rather overly simplistic, and then she proceeded to expound further on the subject to which, to this day, NK never quite understood nor ultimately cared.

"If you are telling me to bring a detachment to the Thymus," NK continued. "Then you will be risking your fight with Lady Em. I might not have spent much time with your first apprentice, but even I know that you need all the cells you can get to def-"

NK cut herself off from finishing her sentence as she realized her mistake. Immediately her expression became contrite. "I'm sorry milady for getting ahead of myself. I didn't mean to question your handling over Lady Em."

"But you are absolutely correct, NK-chan," Lady Macrophage waved off her concern with her hand. "I need all the help I can to defeat my former apprentice, and it is as you say, it would be unwise to even divide a small cadre of this gathered force to aid you in your endeavor."

"Then you understand why I need to go alone, milady?" NK queried, sensing that she might have swayed her master to her point of view. She managed to give a quick glance toward her muscled counterpart and saw his face grimaced with grudging understanding. She had no doubt that she would also have the same conversation with him if he continued to press his objections.

"But I never said I was allowing a detachment to aid you." Lady Macrophage chuckled.

NK furrowed her brows in confusion. "Then what did you mean it was not only my fate that was destined to be in the Thymus?"

"It is as I said, someone, needs to be in the Thymus other than you." The elder battle maid's smile brightened.

"Then who needs to be-" then NK saw her master turned her head to her side, and she immediately understood what she meant.

NK's jaw fell as her eyes went wide with disbelief. "Milady, you cannot be serious?!"

Lady Macrophage said nothing, only letting her smile do the talking.

"Wait… You're talking about me?" MT pointed a finger to his face.

"I am MT-kun," his former mentor nodded in the affirmative. "Who else is more perfect to be with my NK-chan than a trusted friend?"

MT's face turned immediately red with embarrassment. As if on cue, NK's cheek also blushed furiously.

"I… I am leading a team milady," MT-kun reasoned out now that he too realized the inevitable conclusion of his constant nagging with his NK partner. "I'm their leader, I'm duty-bound to be with them."

"Who says we need you to babysit us lieutenant?" a rough voice called from behind.

MT turned and saw his platoon had gathered behind him. They looked haggard and beaten, but their expressions showed a healthy dose of humor. Some were smiling while others chuckled, giving their captain mischievous looks that indicated to him they were up to no good.

He narrowed his eyes and gave them all a dismissive look.

An older Killer T cell, a veteran judging by the many battle scars running all over his face, stepped forward from the gathered rank to address him.

"We can take care of ourselves LT," the old veteran assured him, his voice rustic and rough, a far cry from the posh accents of the cultured macrophages. "You do not need to worry a damn thing about us."

"But that's not the point Sargeant!" he countered though sounding unsure. "I can't just leave you guys here… I was just suggesting to NK here to bring along some reinforcement with her. I didn't say it would have to be me!"

The veteran sergeant moved closer until he could put a hand on his shoulder.

"Look, sonny," the older KT sighed, perfectly comfortable in addressing his commander officer rather informally. "You're a good leader y'hear? No one doubts that. And you're good, damned good of a lymphocyte y'hear? The best among all of us and that's precisely why it must be you who should accompany your um… Friend."

That got more snickering from his subordinates. MT shot them a deathly glare, but that only goad his team to continue.

"Like I said, don't worry lad, we can take care of ourselves," the older KT cell laughed as he slammed his hands on his back. "And besides… We have the lovely macrophages here to accompany us."

The veteran then gave a respectful nod toward Lady Macrophage who giggled and nodded back.

"I am honored to fight alongside you, MT-kun," his former mentor added. "But alas, on my side in battle is not where you need to be. Helper-kun needs our help… Specifically your help and NK-chan's."

"I…" MT tried to mount another counter, but then his shoulders sagged as he gave out a sigh. "Fine. I'll go."

"Ok, look here dumbass," NK started. Her lips curled into a snarl, but her cheeks still blushed furiously. She pointed an accusing finger at him, trying to indicate to everyone who it was that triggered her displeasure. "I never said I needed your help! You'll only slow me down!"

"Oh, put a sock on it NK," MT rolled his eyes, already resigning to his fate. "It's not only you who wants to see that bastard Dendritic dead."

"That's right lass," the veteran sergeant interjected. "Dendritic was already a monster even before he became a monster. A lot of us here have suffered enough from his antics."

This got universal acceptance from MT's platoon with some KT cells shuddering at the thought of the humiliation they got from the infamous antigen-presenting cell.

NK for her part remained unperturbed.

"You will address me properly sergeant," she warned the old veteran coldly.

The veteran sergeant immediately straightened up as he saluted. "Aye, ma'am."

"Look, NK," MT said, exasperated. "Let's just get this over with… We've already wasted enough time here."

"And whose fault is that?" NK flared up before turning and then walking away from him.

"Wait, where are you going?" he raised his hand toward her as if trying to stop her.

"To the medulla oblongata." She said dryly. "Where the hell do you think I'm going?!"

MT hesitated for a while. He took a couple of steps before stopping. He could see NK increasing her pace, and it won't be long until she'd break into a run.

"What are you waiting for, lad? Go with her!"

MT turned to look at his platoon. His ragtag group of misfits all goaded him to go assuring him they'd be fine without him. In truth, he had full confidence over his platoon. He knew they would give Lady Em and her damned traitor armies a hellish end.

"Just… Just be careful all of-"

"Oh shut up and just go!" his platoon chorused.

He smiled, giving them all a nod of thanks.

"Do keep my apprentice safe, MT-kun." Lady Macrophage requested as she bowed down her head.

"I will, milady," MT promised before running toward his Natural Killer cell partner.

Ahead of him, NK quickened her pace to a run. Her face still fumed red with embarrassment and anger at the entire ordeal. She wanted to go alone so as not to impede the mission of her master, and she refused to form a team to help her out since she knows it would only slow her down. But what of anyone who also wanted to go to the Thymus at their own accord and with the blessing of her master? She didn't have any right to stop them just as they don't have a right to stop her.

"Moron…" she murmured under her breath. "Don't just go around blurting out to everyone that we're friends."

* * *

 **A/N:**

According to Wikipedia, the Thymus can be surgically removed with little or to no effect if said patient is already an adult. NK might have exaggerated when she said the immune system would be truly lost if the Thymus was destroyed. However, don't tell that to Helper T cell and the rest of his command in the Thymus HQ. I suspect they won't be that thrilled to hear such news. XD

* * *

Revision History:

\- Originally published on April 24, 2019


	17. Chapter 16: A Little Leader's Nightmare

**Chapter 16: A Little Leader's Nightmare**

She dreamt of nightmares.

Before her, she saw a hellish scenery of a world in flames and a burning grey sky torn asunder. She heard the ghastly screams of countless of her onii-chans and onee-chans consumed by unholy fire, their faces twisted in agony. She saw their hands outstretched up to the heavens as if to pray for deliverance only to be put out by their miseries by the cruel judgment of the maidens of death. The high arterial walls of the world broke and split to reveal a large tear in reality and the abysmal void beyond. The wind howled a mournful lament, of hope lost and faiths shattered, for none now lived that could halt the coming of the end.

Her body started to tremble at the sight before her. No platelet should ever be burdened by such nightmares. Little thrombocytes like hers should instead be running down the streets with smiles on their lips.

Tears began to run down her cheeks and, before she realized it, her vision began to blur. At first, she tried to hold her emotions in check, but like a cracked dam, streams of tears fell until she finally burst down sobbing. She heaved, she moaned, and she cried at her utter helplessness.

She would die… Of that, she was sure. As a thrombocyte whose job was to fix damaged sections of the world, she was no stranger of death. Death was an ever constant presence that she had grown to accept as part of the cycle of life. And yet, it still doesn't mean accepting the reality of death already made the pain of losing a loved one bearable. On the contrary, it only made the whole ordeal even worse.

She would die… Of that, she was sure, and she would die young and alone with no one to mourn her passing.

But most of all, she would die a failure.

She shut her eyes closed, wiping them with the back of her tiny hands. Her head started to throb with pain as the words of her former mentor came back to her like a surge of stomach acid.

 _Failure is a sin, and death is no excuse!_

She had committed a most grievous of faults, and there was nothing more she could do other than to live with the guilt.

She had failed in her duties, but even more painful than that, she had failed her friends.

"Oi, Leader-chan!" a voice from behind cried out to her.

She turned and saw her vision of hell had vanished. The world no longer burned, and she could no longer hear the horrifying screams of the damned. Her peaceful world had returned, complete with her red, black, and white onii-chans and onee-chans moving along busy streets, performing their tasks as if nothing had happened at all.

"Leader-chan!"

Amongst the gathered crowd of bustling cells, her eyes quickly darted toward a group of platelets smiling and waving their little hands at her.

Her insides started to churn as fresh tears came rolling down her cheeks. A torrent of emotions swirled in her chest, making it hard for her to breathe.

Before her, was her squad, alive and unhurt. They all looked seemingly fine as opposed to her who looked terrible with her eyes red from crying, her chestnut hair disheveled, and her platelet uniform consisting of a turquoise shirt and shorts all tattered and covered in grime. They even looked unconcerned as if they all didn't go missing only just a few hours ago.

Nevertheless, seeing her squad filled her with much-needed relief. She clasped her hands together and bowed her head in silent prayer, thanking the _Consciousness_ for the safety of her friends.

She sniffed a couple of times to steady herself before opening her mouth to greet them.

"Uh…"

But no words would dare come out from her lips. She paused and blinked a couple of times. Again she opened her mouth as she tried to force herself to utter a reply, but only her dry rasping breath could be heard exiting from her lips.

"Leader-chan? What's wrong?" A platelet boy who wore his cap backward tilted his head to his side as he asked.

Now her insides began to race as panic started to spread all over her tiny body. It was not that she had forgotten how to speak, it just that her lips refused to enunciate her words.

"What are you trying to say?" Another boy from her squad called out to her.

She shook her head and then pointed at her opened mouth, indicating that she suddenly lost her voice.

"You hungry?" A girl with short blonde hair asked. "Why not come with us, and we could go and grab something to bite?"

Again she shook her head, her face flushing red with frustration. Finally, she decided to walk toward her friends but then realized she couldn't move. She looked down to her legs, but they remained frozen and heavy like crystallized kidney stones.

"Oi Leader-chan, come with us!" Shouted another platelet, gesturing to her to move.

Now her eyes swelled once more with tears. She couldn't speak, and she couldn't approach her friends… she was utterly stuck and helpless. She couldn't even scream or signal to them that something was wrong.

"Leader-chan? Why won't you come with us?" The platelet boy with his cap backward asked, but this time, his voice sounded low and deep.

She blinked, and to her horror, she saw her friend's face began to melt like it was wax.

She opened her mouth as wide as she can to scream at him, but still, the words refused to come out.

"Wh-Why… Why won't y-you say a-anything?" Another platelet boy groaned at him. His membrane was also melting away, peeling layer after layer, until his inner granules were all exposed. Still, he seemed utterly unaware of his slow disintegration. "Why w-won't you come to u-u-ussss?"

She made a soundless wail as she tried to tell a hundred reasons why she couldn't help them. She dropped down to her knees, begging for their forgiveness.

"Y-You d-don't want to b-be with us now, Leadachhi?" A melting girl platelet with pink pigtails accused her. "You are abandoning us?"

"Leader-chan… It hurts…" Another platelet girl whose eyes had disintegrated entirely into white gelatinous ooze croaked.

"Plea-please… H-Help usssss…"

Finally, she closed her eyes as she covered her ears with her hands.

 _This… This is not real!_ She tried to assure herself. _They're not real!_

"Leadachhi… I'm s-scared… Please don't l-leave us!"

"It… Hurts…"

"Lead… chan…"

"L-L-L-o-o-o-k-k-k… A-A-A-t-t-t… U-U-U-s-s…"

 _Noooooo!_ Her thoughts screamed inside her head. _All of you… You're all not real!_

"LOOK AT US! LEADER-CHAN!"

"LOOK…"

"AT…"

"US…"

"LEAD…"

"CHAN…"

Finally, exhausted and emotionally drained, she focused all her will in opening her eyes and-...

Her friends were all gone.

The bustling scenes of red blood cells and immune cells moving around and minding their own businesses were all gone.

Everything was all gone replaced only with total blackness.

She blinked and still she could see nothing.

Was this it? Was this death?

Had her young life finally come to an end?

But before she could think any further of morbid thoughts, she saw a faint white light.

The light felt kind and warm. It didn't assault her sight with growing brightness but remained as a soft glow that slowly coalesced to form a silhouette of a figure.

A figure?

She closed her eyes shut for a couple of seconds before slowly opening them again. She now saw the silhouette of a face of an onee-chan with amber-red hair looking down on her. Her sight was still blurry to discern the identity of the onee-chan, but she felt like she at least should know her.

Then she saw the silhouetted onee-chan's mouth move.

"... let… chan…"

The onee-chan's voice sounded muted and distant.

"... chan! Platelet-chan!"

Finally, her eyes went wide open as she finally recognized the redhead onee-chan.

"RBC… nee-chan?" she mumbled.

Tears fell down on her face like tiny water droplets her onee-chan burst out into a cry.

"Platelet-chan! You're safe!" AE3803 sobbed, her voice breaking. She had the little thrombocyte's head resting on her lap. "Thank the _Consciousness_ that you're safe! I… I don't know what I would do if I l-lost you!"

For a long moment, Platelet-chan said nothing but just stared directly at her onee-chan's eyes.

She now remembered where she was. She remembered trembling in fear as a deranged macrophage wearing glasses threw out into the abyss as if she was a bundle of trash. She remembered the screams of other cells tossed out into the darkness beyond. She remembered hitting some type of hard surface before tumbling further down until she hit something soft and fatty. She remembered crying out for help as well as walking in complete darkness in the hope of finding a way out.

But most of all, she remembered the excruciating pain coursing all around her tiny body and the utter hopelessness she felt before finally collapsing to the ground, wishing nothing more than for death's cold embrace.

"I'm sorry, Platelet-chan!" The redhead erythrocyte wailed. "I… I was unable to p-protect you!"

Platelet-chan shook her head weakly. Her lips now formed into a faint smile.

"T-Thank you, onee-chan," she mumbled, her voice rasping.

Then she closed her eyes and finally fell asleep.

* * *

 **A/N:**

And we are finally back with Platelet-chan and AE3803! For this chapter, I initially wanted to write in AE's perspective, but then I saw it would be a missed opportunity if we don't see a chapter coming from the perspective of Leader-chan. I feel sorry for the little thrombocyte... she's been through a rough time. Her ordeal is not over though, but hey, at least AE is now there with her right? Right?

Until next time everyone!

* * *

Revision History:

\- Originally published on May 19, 2019


	18. Chapter 17: Notice Me Senpai

**Chapter 17: Notice Me Senpai**

AE3803 held the little thrombocyte close to her chest as she sobbed silently.

At last, she had Platelet-chan in her arms… At last, she could finally hold her for real instead of clinging to nothing but the emptiness of the dark. It was stupid of her, now that she had time to think, to jump into the open wound thinking she could just somehow find the little platelet without any plan or worry.

Perhaps this was the advantage of an airhead? She could admit that she was not mainly the sharpest knife in the bone marrow, and being smart was never her forte. Many of her classmates would remind her of that, especially when she makes mistakes.

And she does make plenty of mistakes...

However, being in the bottom rung in the ladder actually taught her the value of never giving up. Her sense of direction was practically non-existent, but it had never stopped her in from reaching her destination. By any means, she would definitely find her way.

Thus, when she plunged down into the darkness, all she thought was to rescue Platelet-chan at all cost. It never occurred to her what on to expect, or what nightmares she would face, or how the darkness surrounding her felt utterly suffocating as if it was some invisible goo slowly closing in around her.

In fact, she had never experienced this type of darkness before. Even the light shining from the flashlight strapped in front of her cap did little to fully illuminate her surrounding.

Still, she trudged on.

She didn't have the luxury to worry or to pause and ponder how she could have survived from a fall deep into the underbelly of the abyss. True, she hit the ground hard, but it wasn't enough to take her down. It did hurt though and took all of her willpower to push herself to stand up and move forward micrometer after micrometer. Pain ached all over her body, like a hundred stingers of a Pneumonia Coccus slicing her slowly from the inside, but still, she pushed herself to move on and find her ward.

That was a few hours ago, or an eternity, she couldn't tell. The aching pain made her search agonizingly unbearable. Every step she took felt like an individual battle that she needed to win.

And then there were the screams… By the _Consciousness,_ there were the screams.

As an erythrocyte, she'd always been told to run and make a lot of noise if ever she was in danger. With no way to defend themselves, her kind had to resort to flight rather than fight off wayward antigen. Thus, whenever she heard a fellow red blood cell scream, she knew a threat was nearby, and she needed to get out.

But these cries of the damned that echoed from everywhere and nowhere were not cries of warning, but cries of sheer terror and agony. Every time she thought she was nearing toward the source of a particular scream, it abruptly stopped and followed by shrieks that she believed could not have been uttered from the mouths of fellow erythrocytes or any cell under the _Consciousness'_ light.

But still, she trudged on until she finally stumbled across the little chestnut-haired thrombocyte, all alone, wounded, and sobbing.

She blinked and realized her visions had blurred. Tears had formed in her eyes as she remembered the sorry state of the little platelet that loves to call her onee-chan despite her all her inadequacy.

The pain she felt didn't matter… The hell she went through didn't matter as long as Platelet-chan was now safe in her arms, that was all that mattered to her and-

She shook her head vigorously, trying to bring herself back into focus.

No. She can't stop now, she must continue. She can't delude herself that her ordeal was over now that her ward was in her hands. She couldn't allow lowering down her guard at all.

She furrowed her brows into deep thought as she started devising a plan but instead only ended up breathing out a sigh.

Thinking anything complex like a plan somehow hurts her head. She had always relied more on instincts and her single-minded nature rather than think her actions through. Somehow, her stubbornness had always helped her overcome obstacles in the past.

She would bring back Platelet-chan back to the world of light one way or another, even at the cost of her life.

She lowered her face as she looked down at her ward's sleeping face. The light from her cap provided a faint glow of illumination that made her see the pained expression of Platelet-chan as her chest rose and fell for every raspy breath.

She could only imagine what sort of nightmares her ward must have seen… Cold and alone walking around this forsaken place… Before she managed to find her.

She shook her head once again, unwilling to finish her thoughts.

"I will protect you, Platelet-chan…" she promised as she slowly stood up, carrying the little thrombocyte in between her arms. The little thrombocyte felt hot to the touch as if she was overheating from stress. "Just hang in there… We'll play once again and drink tea along with your other platelet fri-"

She stopped mid-sentence and immediately turned her to her right. An icy chill ran down her back, and she could feel every molecule in her membrane screaming at her of impending danger.

She tightened her grip on Platelet-chan as she focused her willpower to steady herself.

Amidst the fading screams from far away, she could hear the heavy trudging of boots coming toward her with each step sounding louder than the previous one. She steadied her gaze toward the direction of the incoming footsteps, but the dimming light from her cap could not pierce through the sheer blackness in front of her.

She stepped back… Then another one… Two…

She was about to turn and run toward the opposite direction when the darkness suddenly called out to her.

And it spoke in a voice she recognized.

"S-S-Senpai…"

She froze.

A silhouette figure was walking toward her. She could hear groans and pained grunts coming from the figure. Her raw instincts urged her to run, but something was keeping her in place.

Finally, she let go of her left hand from holding Platelet-chan as she adjusted her cap-light to focus on the approaching stranger.

The light dimmed for a second before it brightened just barely enough that she could see the pale face of the figure.

And what she saw made her even paler.

"Kouhai-chan?" she blurted out, unsure of what she saw. "NT4201?"

"Senpai…" the pale figure of an erythrocyte groaned back. "I… f-finally… found you…"

The hemoglobin inside AE3803 started to swirl with mixed emotions of relief and sadness at seeing her kouhai still alive but only barely. Her kouhai looked disheveled and worn out. Her once long and sickly jet-black hair was now unkempt and full of ash, covering much of her face as she kept her gaze downward. Her crimson uniform in which AE3803 always remembered she took pride in keeping clean was now in tatters and covered in grime. NT4201 also now walked with a limp, and every step she took looked labored and forced.

"Kouhai-chan!" AE3803 shouted back as she dashed right toward her. "You're… You're alive!"

Before NT4201 could react, the redhead erythrocyte hugged her with her free left arm while simultaneously carrying Platelet-chan with the other, locking all three individuals into a tight embrace. The little thrombocyte shrugged when AE3803 glomped at her kouhai, but other than that, she remained asleep.

"It's so good to see you again, Kouhai-chan!" the redhead pressed her cheeks with her junior as she started rubbing them. A fresh batch of tears started flowing from her eyes. "I thought I'd never see you again!"

NT4201 didn't respond. She just continued looking down while allowing her senpai to hug her tightly with her free arm.

"It's so terrible, Kouhai-chan!" AE3803 continued without waiting for her junior to respond. "First, I was walking near the liver when I found Platelet-chan crying. I approached her to comfort her but then I bumped into WBC-san who was in a hurry to go to the liver due to a commotion, and the next thing I know, the macrophages became evil and one of them who wore glasses threw Platelet-chan to the abyss! Oh, Kouhai-chan, it's so terrible!"

The black-haired junior let out a groan before mumbling something under her mouth.

"Don't… ch… me..."

"Hmm?" AE3803 tilted her head to her side in a quizzing look. "Did you say something, Kouhai-chan?"

"I said DON'T TOUCH ME!" NT4201 roared, pushing her redhead senior away from her.

AE3803 almost lost her balance from the sudden shove. She staggered for a couple of steps before balancing her weight out. Surprisingly, Platelet-chan continued to sleep and unaffected on her arms.

"Kouhai-chan?" AE3803 asked, her brows furrowed with confusion. "Is everything alri-wait… Are you bleeding?!"

Her instincts for preservation started to kick in, begging her to put as much distance between herself and her junior, but then she got a closer inspection at her face, and she almost let out a yelp.

NT4201's face had changed so much that AE3803 almost didn't recognize her. Her junior's membrane had turned deathly pale, and streams of crimson hemoglobin bled out from her forehead and temples. What's more, her eyes… Her eyes were hued in sickly green like the eyes of that evil glasses-wearing macrophage.

"Oh, _Consciousness_ you're bleeding Kouhai-chan! Wait, let me hel-"

"Why Senpai?" NT4201 interrupted her.

AE3803 seemed to have not heard her question since she proceeded once again to approach her.

"I said WHY SENPAI?!" The black-haired erythrocyte suddenly took out a dagger from her pouch bag strapped to the back of her belt.

This time, AE3803 stopped in her tracks, her eyes wide with surprise at her kouhai's sudden hostility and the dagger in her hand.

"WHY DID YOU NOT NOTICE ME SENPAI?!" NT4201 shrieked. Tears the color of the night ran down her eyes, mixing up with the red hemoglobin dripping from her forehead. "I… I called up to you… I cried out your name but… But…"

AE3803 opened up her mouth to reply, but no words dared to come out of her lips.

The black-haired erythrocyte's contorted in pain for a couple of seconds before pointing her dagger at the little thrombocyte. Instinctively, AE3803 tightened her grip on Platelet-chan.

"But you chose her over me…" NT4201 snarled, every syllable she uttered dripped with venomous accusation. "You chose a disposable platelet over me!"

AE3803 placed a hand on the back of Platelet-chan's head, drawing her even closer to her.

"What are you saying, Kouhai-chan?" AE3803 responded, her voice cracking from the sobs she tried to withhold. "Please… Let me help you… Let your senpai he-"

"NO!" NT4201 roared, her pale face turning red with anger. "There's nothing you can do now senpai, you abandoned me when I needed you the most! You left me to be defiled and deformed by the enemy!"

As if to prove a point, she pointed her dagger toward her cap which was not really a cap, AE3803 now realized, but a grotesque pulsating blob like the ones worn by cells infected with a virus.

"Kouhai-chan… Is that... " the redhead erythrocyte stared at the thing leeching off at her junior's head. "Are you infected with a virus?"

NT4201 stared back at her senpai for a couple of seconds before barking out a humorless laugh. "Now you noticed me!"

"But that's impossible!" AE3803 continued. "We're red blood cells! We don't have any nucleus inside our bodies!"

"And yet I am!" the black-haired kouhai shot back. Her voice breaking into fits of sadness and hysteria. "And yet you didn't choose me… Instead, you chose her!"

"I… I didn't mean to abandon you or anything Kouhai-chan," AE3803 quivered as she tried to defend herself. "And I'm sorry if I did, but I didn't notice you at all!"

"I called out to you... I yelled out to you… I SCREAMED OUT TO YOU!" NT4201 was now sobbing, her eyes becoming filthy with black ichor that had become her tears. "You were supposed to be my senpai, you're supposed to look after me even though you're clumsy and bad with directions! You were my senpai who I've come to respect and love!"

Then, NT4201 narrowed her eyes as she stared directly toward her redhead senpai full of sadness and contempt.

"I loved you, senpai... " she muttered, almost a whisper. "And you just left me to die."

AE3803's jaw fell, still unable to believe what her kouhai was saying. NT4201's accusation cut even deeper than any cut to her physical self. She wanted to reason out… She wanted to tell her junior that she was wrong and that she'd never abandoned her under any circumstances.

But how could she convince her kouhai of her side when in her arms was Platelet-Chan, safe and loved, and was standing in front of her, infected and mangled almost beyond recognition?

"I'm... " AE3803 started.

Then she dropped down to her knees, bowing her head in contrition. "I'm sorry, Kouhai-chan… I'm sorry that I was not there for you and I'm sorry that I failed you as your sen-"

"SHUT UP!" NT4201 shrieked once again, black bile spitting out from her mouth. "Shut up… Shut up… SHUT UP!"

The mad erythrocyte bowed her head low, fingers clawing at the abomination on top of her head, as she continued to scream.

"Hnnggghhh… Senpai… It… It hurts!"

"Kouhai-chan! I beg you! Please let me help you!"

"No… I'm n-not…" then, NT4201 arched backward so that her gaze was now locked upwards as if goading fate to strike her down.

"I'm not a slave!" She shrieked. "You don't control me!"

AE3803 watched helplessly as her mad kouhai continued with her incoherent ramblings. She looked like she was trying to resist something or someone, but there was no one else here besides them.

"Onee-chan?"

Platelet-chan's voice broke AE3803 from her stupor. She shifted her gaze toward little thrombocyte she carried and saw fear and confusion in her eyes.

"What's going on?"

"Oh? Is the little one already awake?" NT4201 interjected before her redhead senpai could respond. "Is the one who stole my senpai from me already awake?"

"Kouhai-chan please!" AE3803 immediately went back to her feet as she turned her back on her kouhai so as to shield Platelet-chan with her body. "If you must hate, then hate me instead! Platelet-chan is innocent! Do not hate her, please!"

"She turned you away from me!" NT4201 snarled. "She pretended to be helpless to take advantage of your kindness senpai!"

"That's not true!" AE3803 shouted back, this time more forceful and with conviction. She could understand why her kouhai would hate her… In fact, she felt incredibly guilty that she failed at being a role model senpai to her black-haired kouhai, and she would accept any hatred or punishment for such a failure. However, she couldn't just allow anyone to accuse the little thrombocyte of a crime she'd never committed. "Platelet-chan just lost her friends, and I tried to help her find them when the evil macrophages attack! I was the one who failed to find you when you needed my help so please blame me, not her!"

For a long moment, NT4201 didn't reply.

AE3803 shut her eyes as she tightened her hold on the little thrombocyte. Platelet-chan, for her part, had now taken back much of her wits to realize what was happening, but she kept silent and extremely still.

Then, NT4201 let out a chuckle.

At first, it was not louder than mutter then it became a snicker, then a peal of rumbling laughter until finally, a maniacal cackle no erythrocyte throat should even have the capability to utter.

"You are right senpai…" NT4201 said in between cackles. "She's indeed innocent… So innocent in fact that she has no place in this world already damned to burn in ashes!"

AE3803's eyes widened with horror. She swiftly turned her head to face her kouhai and immediately saw her lunging right at her with her dagger solely aimed at her back.

Instincts quickly took hold of her so as she could flee, but alas everything was already too late.

For just a fraction of a second, AE3803's world slowed down into a crawl. This was it. She and her ward would die here on the arms of a kouhai she'd abandoned.

In the end, she would die as a failure… In the end, she would be unable to protect her ward.

She closed her eyes and waited for the strike.

…

…

…

But her kouhai's strike never hit her.

She heard a loud scream and then a sharp clang of two weapons colliding.

Finally, she mustered all her courage to open her eyes.

That was when she saw her deliverer wrapped in the ashen color of white.

"YOU!" growled NT4201.

Her lips had curled into a snarl as she continued to press her rusted weapon against her opponent's own dagger.

"DO NOT STOP ME NEUTROPHIL!"

U1146 just stared right into the sickly eyes of the infected erythrocyte before he made his counterattack.

* * *

 **A/N:**

Ok. How in the blazes did a Red Blood Cell manage to fight back a Neutrophil?! This is not science, this is science fiction!

Well uh, yeah? After all, this is a sci-fi fanfiction of CAW...

HOWEVER!

There's a reason why NT4201 now knows Kung Fu and this is actually possible in real life!

Well, not the Kung fu part or the red blood cell turning into a yandere part obviously.

What I'm trying to say is that I read some medical articles about red blood cells and it kind of blew my mind away so I incorporated the article's contents in my characterization of NT4201.

What articles I might be talking about?

Well, you just have to stay tuned for the next installment of, Cells at Work: Ebola!

Until next time everyone!

* * *

Revision History:

\- Originally published on June 28, 2019


	19. Chapter 18: The Greatest Erythrocyte

**Chapter 18: The Greatest Erythrocyte**

To face a neutrophil in combat was to face an avatar of death incarnate.

Anyone foolish enough to fight the world's first line of defense would suddenly find their lives drastically shortened to mere seconds before meeting certain doom. Many antigens had tried fighting them off, thinking their strain could take them down, only to have their last memories of this world that of a snarling neutrophil just moments away from slithering their throats.

In fact, to even withstand the onslaught of a neutrophil was to earn a spot on a short list that included cells who also had an even shorter list of opponents that could technically out-best them.

Macrophages, in theory, would have no problem holding their ground against a neutrophil so as Natural Killer cells. Perhaps a couple more antigens could pose some threats as well, but an erythrocyte?

To even entertain the idea of an erythrocyte besting a neutrophil in combat was as absurd and insulting as someone claiming the venerable neurons, beloved and blessed by all, were nothing more than a bunch of senile old cells. Such a thing was just impossible.

But NT4201 was not any ordinary erythrocyte.

With a swerve to the right, she deflected a sharp dagger thrust from U1141 intended for her throat before lunging forward to deliver her own furious counterattack. Her lips curled into a snarl as she struck, blocked, and parried with such ferocity never seen coming from a red blood cell.

Her opponent, on the other hand, fought her with calculated fury. Not once did she saw him bare any emotions or befuddlement at the thought of fighting an erythrocyte in combat. U1146's face looked like it was carved in stone, expressionless and cold, but nevertheless deadly.

It was not the usual way neutrophils conduct battle. Most of the time, these ashen murderers fought with wanton abandon, screaming and roaring as they tear down their opponent's membrane bit by bit. If not for their noble obligation of defending those who could not defend themselves, then they would be no better than the monsters that they swore to fight or so she believed.

A creased of concern wrinkled her forehead.

Was he downplaying her?

Was she not a monster enough for him to fight her with all his attention and strength?

Her snarl formed into a wide grin.

"Have you nothing to say neutrophil?!" she laughed as she traded multiple blows with the ashen killer. "I am what happens when you fail to protect those you swore to defend!"

She swung her dagger sideways. Got blocked. Then countered again.

"You failed me!" she growled. "You and senpai failed me!"

U1146 glared at her for a moment before lunging in for another attack.

For all the corruption that had been done on her, she still should not be able to last this long against a seasoned neutrophil even if said neutrophil didn't take her seriously. The moment she bared her weapon against her senpai was the moment she damned herself to death.

And yet, she lives on.

 _Kill him! Strike him down!_

The voices in her head screamed at her to spill the organelles of her ashen opponent. She ignored them, but she could feel their anger coursing through her body, giving her strength beyond what a normal erythrocyte could accomplish.

 _KILL HIM!_ They roared, and she roared with them in unison.

Blow after blow, she struck faster and faster until she and her opponent blurred into an uncoordinated dance of carnage.

NT4201 launched a savage swipe of her dagger that made the veteran neutrophil stagger a couple of steps back. She seized the opening and lunged to connect her attack with a thrust aimed at his mitochondrion. U1146 now seemed to be faltering from her attacks.

She cackled every time their daggers screeched, and she could feel malicious powers coursing through her body.

With the essences of the virus corrupting her very core, standing her ground against a seasoned neutrophil had become a possibility. Even out besting the ashen warrior now seemed within her grasp.

All she needed to do was to give in to the voices.

Rage boiled her insides, and she roared as she threw a wild haymaker at the veteran neutrophil.

It didn't connect.

U1146's instincts, honed from countless battles, kicked in and he immediately shifted his footing to the left, deftly evading the crazed erythrocyte's fist.

Which was exactly what NT4201 wanted.

With speeds unimaginable for a rookie erythrocyte, she thrust her dagger right into the veteran neutrophil's vulnerable throat.

This time, U1146 blinked.

And NT4201 caught his fraction of a second worth of hesitation. That was all she needed, and she could hear the screams in her head, reaching a crescendo as they goaded her to strike her first kill.

This was it. This was what she needed to be.

She knew even when she was a young erythroblast that she was destined for greatness. All of her macrophage instructors told her that she would definitely become one of the top erythrocytes in the world. She would be a model for all upcoming erythrocytes to follow and all other cells to praise.

It would have been a great honor of which it was something easily within her grasp.

But it was not enough.

To be the number one erythrocyte was nothing compared to what a neutrophil or a lymphocyte could accomplish. A white blood cell who died in glorious battle was given full military honors of being discharged into the sacred fluids of the Urinary Tract. A lymphocyte who had proven himself during an invasion was given the honors of becoming a Memory T cell whose insights and legacy would be passed on to all succeeding generations.

There would be no honors for any great erythrocyte. The best among the red blood cells would still end up getting destroyed inside the spleen with no trace of any of their deeds preserved whatsoever.

For a time, she resented her lot in life as nothing but a lowly red blood cell. There was no greatness to be had with spending all day delivering nutrients to various parts of the world.

Her job was nothing to be proud of even though she bested everyone else. It was boring, mundane, and she hated it.

That was, of course, until she met her senpai.

When she met her bumbling senpai for the first time, her first instinct was to jump right into the acid waters of the stomach. Never had she met a more dimwitted and directionally challenged cell in her entire life.

To even be assigned as her upperclassman was an insult to her stellar performance. Compared to her senpai, hands down, there was no comparison. The moment her senpai opened her mouth to introduce herself, she knew then and there, she'd already surpassed her as a more competent erythrocyte by default.

And yet, for all her misgivings, her senpai still showed her that even the clumsiest of all cells was capable of greatness. It was a lesson she would definitely adhere all the way to her dismantling.

Back when the world experienced massive hemorrhagic bleeding, she broke down thinking it was all futile now. But then, her senpai showed her to never give up, but instead continue moving forward and quietly carry on.

From that moment on, she realized that it was truly fate that AE3803 would become her beloved bumbling senpai.

And yet, she was taken from her.

A wretched thrombocyte took her senpai from her, and an insane macrophage turned her into an abomination.

Truly, there was no justice in this world.

"DIE!" she screamed, plunging her dagger deep into the uniform of the veteran neutrophil.

She could see him buckle as finally, her opponent let out a pained grunt.

Her lips went wide to start cackling again, but then, her eyes locked with his and, in just an instant, she finally realized how badly she miscalculated.

The eyes of her opponent were not those of someone who just got stabbed by a dagger…

They were the eyes of someone who just won a fight.

Before she could strike another blow, the ground she stood disappeared, and she suddenly found herself dangling in the air, legs squirming, mouth wide open into a gurgling scream, as a stone-cold hand started crushing her windpipe.

Instincts immediately kicked in, and she swung her dagger at the hand gripping her neck, but the ashen neutrophil caught her arm, and with a slight twist of his wrist, broke her hold on her weapon.

Finally, her vision began to blur. Finally, she realized her mistaken hubris of even thinking she could take down a neutrophil in the first place.

"K-KILL M-ME!" she wheezed. "KI-"

But her words died in her lips as her world flipped and now she found herself smashed down in the ground, with every molecule in her membrane screaming at her of pain.

She squirmed, kicking and slamming her hands on her opponent, but the hand crumpling her throat held her at bay. U1146 loomed above her, his gaze burning with cold fury.

"Do it... " she croaked. This was it. It was all over now. She closed her eyes and again ignored the voices in her head, raging at her for giving up. "You got me now… Do your duty…"

"No," replied the ashen neutrophil.

Her eyes snapped wide open as her brows furrowed with confusion. The pressure squeezing around her had suddenly vanished.

U1146 let go his hold on her as he got up to stand beside her.

Confused and still dazed. She looked up to stare right into the eyes of her would-be executioner and no longer saw any trace of a blood-thirsty killer.

"W-Why?" she managed to ask.

Now it was her opponent's turn to furrow his brows and give her a quizzical look.

"Because you're not a threat," he said as a matter of fact as if it was the most obvious thing to explain. "You never were, and so there's no need to end you."

Renewed fury burned in her insides as her face contorted into a snarl. She tried getting up, but the veteran neutrophil placed his boots right above her chest, pinning her down in place.

"HOW DARE YOU LOOK DOWN ON ME?!" she screamed, black ichor started streaming down her eyes. "FIGHT ME FAIR AND SQUARE YOU MONSTER!"

U1146 continued staring down at her seemingly perplexed at her reaction. "But miss, I don't sense any inherent malice from you. There's no need to fight."

"Hah?!" now it was her turn to stare at him in confusion. "What do you-... Are you blind?! Can't you see I'm infected?!"

As if to prove her point, she pointed a finger at the virus cap perched on top of her head.

He shook her head as he too pointed his finger on his gray cap. "No, you're not."

"What does your cap have to do with-"

Then it hit her.

"No…" NT4201 stared at him, utterly dumbfounded. "That can't be… You must be mistaken!"

"My receptor has never failed me, miss," U1146 assured her. "It didn't detect you as an infected or even a threat."

"NO!" She screamed, refusing to believe at the absurdity of what her opponent just said. "That's impossible! I… I was infected by the virus!"

"You are enucleated. You can't be infected by a virus." the ashen veteran pointed out.

NT4201 fumed with fury. Was this neutrophil playing tricks with her?

"Then these voices... " her voice hoarse and strained. "A-Are you telling me I'm… I'm just imagining them?"

"What voices, miss?" U1146 removed his foot that was pinning her down. He then crouched in order to get a closer look on her. "I'm sorry, but I don't understand."

"These voices… I hear-" but before she could finish her sentence, a blur of red and black slammed at her, scooping her up into a sitting position as the blur hugged her tightly.

"Kouhai-chan!" AE3803 wailed as she dug her nails at her kouhai's back in a crushing embrace. "Thank the _Consciousness_ you're alive!"

"S-Senpai?" NT4201 blurted, different shades of emotions from happiness to anger swirled inside her.

"I'm so happy... " AE3803 cried. Tears streamed down her eyes uncontrollably. "I thought… I thought I lost you!"

"I... " NT4201 tried to make a coherent sentence to speak, but just couldn't find the words to express.

"I'm s-sorry... " her senpai continued in between sobs. "I'm sorry for not being with you when you needed me the most!"

"Senpai, I..." then it was NT4201's turn to cry, but her tears were the color of bile. "I was so... "

But then, rage and regret succeeded clawing themselves up above all other emotions, and she could feel a renewed sense of fury burning inside her.

"S-Senpai... " she croaked, her voice near at the point of breaking. "You abandon me."

"I'm sorry!" her senpai sobbed. "It's my fault, I know! I… I should be there for you as your senpai!"

"But it's done..." NT4201 said with much regret in her tone. "You made your choice, and now I'm… I'm evil… I'm an abomination."

"No, you're not!"

"I am..."

"No, you're no-"

"I AM!" NT4201 bellowed. "I AM DA-"

"NO, YOU'RE NOT!" her senpai countered and proceeded to even hug her tightly.

The voices in NT4201's head began to howl at her to renew her rampage. An idiot erythrocyte had just presented herself for slaughter, and all she needed to do was to deliver the kill.

"You're not damned, Kouhai-chan."

This time, AE3803 released her hold on her junior as she shifted her position so she could look directly at her junior's eyes.

"You are my beloved Kouhai, please don't say you're evil because you really are not."

"How can you say that, senpai?!" she wailed. "I… I tried to kill you! How could you say I'm not evil?!"

"Because I believe in you, kouhai-chan."

Then, AE3803 proceeded to unfasten her jacket as she leaned her head to one side so as to expose her bare neck to her junior.

"Kouhai-chan," AE3803 began. This time, her voice was soft and clear. "If you really are evil..."

She then placed a hand on her kouhai's left check as she wiped off the muddy tears from her eyes.

"If you really are evil, Kouhai-chan, then I offer you my neck… It is the least I could do to atone for my sins."

NT4201 sat stunned and unmoving at what her senpai just said. She stared straight into AE3803's eyes, searching any hint of treachery, but all she found was her senpai's resolve that she was not evil.

And that troubled her even more.

"T-That's…"

NT4201 broke eye contact as she dug her fingers into her temples. The pain in her head was unbearable, and she could hear the voices rising into a fever pitch, shrieking at her to rip out her senpai's throat.

"That's so... " she growled through clenched teeth. "That's so unfair, senpai!"

The last thing NT4201 remembered was her vision blurring into a red misty haze before lunging toward AE3803, her hands reaching out to her senpai's neck, and her mouth wide open into a snarling scream.

The voices in her head bellowed their unworldly cackle.

* * *

 **A/N:**

And we finally come to a close to the Platelet-chan/AE3803/NT4201 arc! Wait, what? The arc ends with a cliff-hanger?

Yeah... Apologies for that, but based on my Storybeat, the next chapter will focus back on Lady Macrophage and after that, we're back to our beloved tsundere couples.

Don't worry though, this is not the end, we'll definitely see more of our cute Platelet-chan, U1146, and AE3803. How about NT4201? Yeah, we'll see. XD

Anywho...

As you may all be wondering, how could Kouhai-chan fight off U1146? Is this all completely made up? Or is this somehow based on science?

Well honestly, I'm no medical expert and I don't even have any medical background at all. However, as an author, I love taking tidbits of ideas from what I've read or seen on the internet and apply them to the plot on my stories.

As such, one article I've read was a medical journal regarding making erythrocytes as virus traps. (From NCBI site: _The erythrocyte viral trap: Transgenic expression of viral receptor on erythrocytes attenuates coxsackievirus B infection_ )

Basically, a group of scientists was researching if it was possible to make red blood cells as traps for viruses. In their study, they mentioned that since red blood cells don't have a nucleus, if a virus tries to infect it, then there would be no cellular mechanism to let it replicate.

As such, if we could somehow lure viruses to their destruction via traps (and by traps they mean Red Blood Cells) then we could prevent the virus from spreading. (NYT Article by Carl Zimmer, March 27, 2007: _Scientists Explore Ways to Lure Viruses to Their Death_ )

It's really a neat idea though I think the result of the study was rather mixed.

Anyways, as I explained when I introduced NT4201, I somehow painted myself into a corner when I wrote that she was infected by the virus not realizing that red blood cells don't have a nucleus for the virus to infect. I would have made a huuuuge change to my plot, but luckily, I saw those articles, and I'm glad I was able to apply their ideas to my story.

And that's why we see NT4201 able to withstand a fight against a veteran neutrophil such as U1146. NT4201 was never infected because she doesn't have a nucleus. The virus that injected its DNA into her could not replicate itself and that's why we won't be able to see a face-hugger crawling out of her mouth like what we saw with the macrophages.

The DNA of the virus, however, does make her go delusional and that's why she could somehow hear voices in her head. I also took some liberties in the article's mentioning of Red Blood Cells as 'virus traps' to mean that they could somehow keep the virus at bay. And by that loose interpretation, I made it in such a way that NT4201 got the fighting know-how of the virus without getting infected herself.

Anyways, that's the story behind NT4201 and I'm really surprised at such a development. On the first draft, NT4201 was just an extra that was going to be killed by Lady Si so I could show how she's evil. But then, when writing NT4201, I somehow felt really sad for her so I didn't kill her and just made her story even more tragic.

No worries though, let's just wait and see what would happen to her. ^^

...

Ok, now that explanation is done, I have some announcements.

I will still aim to release the next chapter in August, but it might be slightly delayed since I'm also writing a short story that is a fanfic of a fanfic. It's an old promise I made to one of the authors that inspired me to become an author myself.

I promised him that I'll write a story of his story around 5 years ago. However, back then, I still didn't have the confidence as an author so I never got into writing that story. Fast forward to now, I happened to see him still active in Tumblr so I contacted him and I'm happy that he still remembers me.

So anyway, is anyone here a Touhou Project fan? The name of the author that inspired me is **Takerfoxx** who is the author of the 1 MILLION PLUS words Touhou fanfic called **Imperfect Metamorphosis**.

I plan to release this short story sometime in the middle of August and I'll aim to release the next chapter for this story by the end of August.

If you're a fan of HP Lovecraft and his ideas of cosmic horrors, then you might like this story.

Ok, that's all for me, until next time everyone! ^^

* * *

Revision History:

\- Originally published on July 31, 2019


	20. Chapter 19: Fated

**Chapter 19: Fated**

" _No… Just… Just… Wait… Just listen for a sec-"_

 _The wounded Staphylococcus Aureus never had the chance to finish her sentence before a lady in a maid uniform swung her scythe into her chest, cutting her in two. The Staphylococcus let out a wild shrill before becoming forever still._

 _The lady smiled at the deed before shifting her gaze to survey the sea of corpses surrounding her. The sounds of clashes could still be heard from a distance, but the outcome of the battle had already been decided._

 _The war against the Staphylococcus Aureus matriarch and her army had finally come to an end. It had been one grueling conflict with billions of the world's defenders dead and many more compromised by her invasion. If left unchecked, the matriarch would have instigated a fatal case of pneumonia in the lungs._

 _Fortunately for the rest of the world's inhabitants, the matriarch overestimated her strength and failed to account for the macrophages, maidens of death. The overambitious antigen declared she'd destroy everything in her path in seven days._

 _The maidens brought her down in three._

 _The lady's ears perked up when she heard the sounds of familiar boot steps, sounding assured and refined, coming from behind._

" _When will they ever learn?" she asked the newcomer without turning. "When will these backward antigens learn they could never defeat us in battle?"_

" _Do not be too assured by the enemies' inadequacy to learn from their mistakes my young apprentice… They only need one successful campaign to bring us all down."_

 _She turned and saw an older lady dressed in immaculate white maid uniform._

" _Hello Em-chan," her master replied, with a bright and beaming smile._

" _Master," she bowed low in deep reverence. "Milady Macrophage."_

 _Lady Em observed her master for a few more seconds, noting fully at the significant differences between them. Her master was a cell radiating with majestic splendor. Her silky blonde hair was wrapped into one flowing braid and her face unblemished with impurities. Her frilly maid uniform was undesecrated with the tainted cytoplasm of the enemies. Contrast this with herself who was disheveled from head to bottom. Her short caramel hair was in tangles, and her uniform was completely covered with grime and red ichor._

 _One might assume Lady Macrophage never went to war considering her cleaned outfit, but nothing could be farther from the truth. Like the crimson-stained reaper scythe Lady Em carried, her master wielded a large cleaver-sword with one hand, and it too was drenched with the cytoplasms of the slain._

 _Both had been in the fiercest points of the battle, fighting side by side, and fighting off dozens of antigen waves sent to insure their annihilation. They slaughtered them all, with no quarters or mercy given. Before them, lay the corpses of thousands of the invaders, and a thousand more would fall from their hands until finally the matriarch herself with her royal attendants showed up to do battle._

 _With arrogance only a deranged antigen could muster, the matriarch charged at them, drunk with power and fury. Lady Em, her master, and their own entourage of bodyguards met her head-on, and a clash of epic magnitude worthy of transcription by the Memory T Cells soon followed._

 _A fight between colossus, a fight between titans, but there could only be one side to rise up as the victor._

" _You have my eternal thanks for saving my life, Em-chan," the older macrophage bowed her head._

 _Lady Em immediately waved her hand, signaling to her master not to bow. "Please, master… You need not lower your head."_

" _But isn't that expected when we give our thanks to those we owe a debt of gratitude?" Lady Macrophage replied. "You saved me, Em-chan… My life could have been forfeited if not for your timed blade."_

 _Amidst the confusion of battle, the deluded matriarch managed to fell the older maid to the ground with her many tendrils. Lady Macrophage would have perished, her fate ended short, if not for her apprentice stepping in to deflect the matriarch's blows with her massive scythe. For the next few seconds, both blurred in their ever-escalating duel. Each clang of their weapons boomed for everyone to hear, every strike, every swing, every thrust, a fate cutting ordeal, until finally, Lady Em's scythe fell true, decapitating the screaming antigen from where she stood._

 _The younger macrophage held the head of the deceased monarch for everyone to see and the resolve of the Staphylococcus Aureus army evaporated. The battle soon turned into a rout which in turn become a massacre. Only the fanatical royal guards of the matriarch continued to fight, but Lady Macrophage dealt them head-on granting each and every one of them their wish to die for their monarch._

 _After an hour of butchery, it was over, and now Lady Em and Lady Macrophage stand on top of the bodies of their defeated enemies._

" _T'was nothing, my master," the younger macrophage shook her head, her cheeks blushing bright red. "It is not yet your fate to fall in today's battle."_

 _Lady Macrophage smiled at her mention of 'fate'._

 _Lady Em noticed the subtle difference in the smile plastered on her master's lips and realized a lecture was about to start._

" _Walk with me, Em-chan," the older maid gestured to her pupil. Lady Em stared at her master for a moment before nodding._

 _Both trudged the desolate aftermath of battle, their boots sometimes stepping on dead antigens or wading through pools of cytoplasm._

" _Allow an old macrophage to humor herself, my pupil," Lady Macrophage began. "But what do you think should be my fate?"_

 _Lady Em raised an eyebrow, intrigued at her master's question. "I would not dare point any specifics, master, but I can hazard a guess that your fate is to become the greatest of all macrophages in history."_

" _A generic and rather bland answer," the older maid chuckled. "I believe I've taught you to speak more freely and openly. Come, do hazard a guess."_

 _The younger maid went quiet for a moment. As it was her habit, her free hand went to clasp the necklace as she started fidgeting it._

" _Then, master, I see-"_

" _One moment please," Lady Macrophage knelt beside a still twitching Staphylococcus Aureus on the ground. The dying antigen was frothing at the mouth, and her eyelids fluttered uncontrollably. The older macrophage took out a dagger from her side belt to slit her throat._

 _The Staphylococcus Aureus twitched no more._

" _I see two possibilities," Lady Em followed as they continued their walk. "First, your deeds will be many. Future generations will revere you, and enemies will fear you. You will live until your scheduled dismantling, and your successors will don your name, your title, but you will never be forgotten."_

 _Lady Macrophage nodded sagely. "Our stay in this world is finite. Our days, our hours, our minutes are all counted, but it is our deeds that will be remembered after us. So my fate then is to acquire as much glory to my name?"_

" _Yes."_

" _Would there be any chance my fate could be something more mundane?"_

 _Lady Em giggled. "Master, you know as well as I that will never come to pass. We are not some busy-body erythrocyte or meant to be held in a stationary position… A mundane setting will never be part of our calculus."_

 _The older macrophage didn't say anything but kept her lips into a smile._

" _And the second possibility is practically the same as the first, but your end will be in battle, not in the spleen." Lady Em declared, almost sounding assured._

 _Lady Macrophage nodded again. "And you prefer this fate for me?"_

" _Why not?" the younger maid turned to look at her master, giving her a quizzical look. "To die in battle is a worthy end for any of us. It would be an honor… Nay, a privilege only given to us who wield the swords, the knives, and the hammers in defense of this world."_

" _That… That is a good fate to have, I admit." the older macrophage slightly bowed her head, satisfied by her apprentice's answer. "And you Em-chan? What then will be your fate?"_

 _This time, Lady Em's lips mouth formed into a wide, mischievous grin. She had anticipated the question for some time now, no doubt rehearsing many times on how to convey it._

" _Well master, it's actually rather simple..." she began. "My fate is to-"_

"Yoohoo, Em?" Lady Si waved her hand in front of the archtraitor.

Lady Em blinked a couple of times before gaining back her wits from her daydreaming. "My apologies, sister… I was momentarily preoccupied."

The glasses-wearing maid furrowed her brows with concern. "Are you about to tell me you are having second thoughts about this whole rebellion?"

"What? Of course not." Lady Em shook her head. "What a preposterous premise. That is anathema to what I must become."

Lady Si let out a chuckle as she stood up.

The two had been taking a tea break in the middle of carnage. Corpses of the fallen KT cells littered their surroundings and a fair distance from them was the ongoing siege of the liver. The roars and screams of the damned reverberated across the battlefield, but the two mostly paid it no heed.

Their third companion, the zombified husk of the lieutenant had wandered off oblivious of the conversation of the two traitorous maids. Lady Em bid him farewell like a friend although the former blades master would never utter a reply.

"The entrance to the liver is about to be breached," Lady Si said as a matter of fact. "Though I enjoyed our time together, I must join with our other sisters in the desecration of the liver. Those _shrine maidens_ inside must be taught a lesson on the proper etiquettes of a macrophage."

The glasses-wearing macrophage bowed her head and placed a hand on her chest. Lady Em nodded in acknowledgement, but this time, she did not stand up to embrace her. A subtle gesture, Lady Si noted.

It was a power play. Lady Em was flexing her authority as the archtraitor, the first to turn, and the first to rebel. She does not need to stand up and mingle with those who report to her.

The glasses-wearing macrophage let out a tiny smirk and brushed the thought away.

"But milady," Lady Si started, hinting a minute inflection when she said 'milady'. "Wouldn't you care to join me in breaching the liver?"

Lady Em shook her head in what looked like genuine regret. "Alas, I must decline such a tempting offer. I could feel it in my insides, in my mitochondrions that I must be here, at this moment, and await my fate."

"She's coming, isn't she?" Lady Si grinned, showing the canine fangs protruding down of her mouth. "Our beloved master is coming?"

"Yes," the archtraitor acknowledged, her tone sure and with finality. "She will be here before the start of the next Circadian cycle. "

And under her breath, she muttered, finishing the thought in her daydream.

 _Well master, it's actually rather simple… My fate is to surpass you in everything._

==0==0==0==

Lady Macrophage opened her eyes and saw a reflection of herself in the mirror no longer clothed in her usual maid uniform.

Instead, before her, she saw herself donning a bulky armor of pure ivory. Seals of parchment recording her many deeds were pasted into her livery, and words of power were etched as engravings into her suit. She was armored from neck to foot, with heavy pauldrons covering her shoulders, and her arms were wrapped in iron greaves. She wore a necklace full of protein beads she'd taken out as trophies from her fallen enemies.

She was inside a makeshift tent, built hastily by the support staff of her army so as she could change into her armor in private. Her praetorian guards, on the other hand, chose to suit up outside, though the Killer T Cells were requested vehemently to look elsewhere.

Accompanying her were her attendants, busy making final adjustments to her suit. One attendant was calibrating the pistons in her boots, while another one was doing final checklist procedures on her suit's intricate circuitry.

After a minute, her transformation was done.

"All preparations are complete, milady," one of her attendants bowed low.

"Thank you, MC-7887," Lady Macrophage gave her a bright smile. "I shall be out of the tent shortly."

Her attendant bowed once again before taking her leave.

Alone, Lady Macrophage continued looking at her reflection.

This was it. There was no turning back.

 _The die is cast._

She now donned her monocyte armor. Usually, macrophages wear these bulky suit only when venturing out into the tissues, but the upcoming battle would need them all suited up for heavy conflict.

This would be a fight never seen before, a clash between the maidens of death, and the world would burn under their boots as a consequence.

Lady Macrophage's thoughts wandered off to the first time her apprentice shared with her what she thought would be her fate, and she couldn't help but notice the cruel irony in what she declared.

 _And the second possibility is practically the same as the first, but your end will be in battle, not in the spleen._

Such were the interwoven fates of beings like them both.

 _Em-chan…_ Lady Macrophage smiled to herself. _Let's see whose fate is real and true._

* * *

 **A/N:**

I know macrophages don't become monocytes on a whim in real-life, but making the macrophages wear Space Marine armor and have in call it as 'monocyte armor' is just totally badass! So instead of letting the macrophages wear their Hazard suits like in the anime, they instead become little Space Marines because it's cool. XD

Btw, I've changed the cover back to Lady Macrophage in Space Marine armor. XD

Next chapter we'll see again how those two tsundere couples are doing in their rush to save Helper T cell.

Until next time everyone!

* * *

Revision History:

\- Originally published on August 27, 2019


	21. Chapter 20: Intimacy

**Chapter 20: Intimacy**

"Iiiiiiitttttttt'sssss usssselessssss," hissed the dying infected Natural Killer cell. "We wwwwwwillllll ttttttrrrrrriiiiuuuuummmmpppphhhh!"

NK had her pinned down to the ground with her sword plunging deep into the infected huntress' chest. She glared at her full of rage and hatred.

NK opened her mouth as if to respond but instead smashed her fist into her opponent's face, obliterating it into a slush of goo and nucleus matter.

As insisted by their master, both NK and MT detached themselves from their group, which continued to fight the archtraitor in the liver. At the same time, they race their way back to the Thymus HQ. Though she would prefer to journey alone, her burly partner would not have any of it, and so she begrudgingly accepted his company.

They moved with extreme haste, avoiding ongoing battles, or already compromised lymph nodes as much as possible. Many times they were forced to make detours, and many times they had to leave their fellow lymphocytes to their inevitable doom, knowing there was little they could do to change their fates.

The defense of Thymus HQ was far more valuable than the lives of any cells. It was of absolute importance to keep it from falling into the clutches of the enemy.

If the Thymus falls, then the forces of the immune system would also fall.

After what seemed like forever, they finally reached the upper levels of a vast cavern shaped like a dome that stretched as far as they could see. Below them, in the middle of this massive cave, was the Thymus base that consisted of the headquarters of the Immune System and the various training fields for the young thymocytes.

"You done with that?" her partner asked.

NK turned and saw MT drenched in the enemy's cytoplasm. Behind him lay his kill count, all eviscerated by his chainsword.

NK inhaled deeply before standing up. She then flicked her sword a couple of times, removing the cytoplasmic stains, before sheathing it in her scabbard.

"Yeah, I'm done."

"Good," MT nodded before extending his hand toward her.

NK stared at his extended hand for a long moment before fixing her gaze at him.

"What? You want me to shake your hand?"

MT rolled his eyes. "No, numbnuts. I'd like to borrow your sheathed sword if you please?"

NK narrowed her eyes with suspicion. Instinctively, she placed a hand on the hilt of _Libertas_. "What for?"

"I need that as a handle."

"Handle?" NK tilted her head to one side. "Handle for what?"

MT let out an exasperated sigh, somewhat annoyed by her constant questioning, while pointing at a wire hooked at the ceiling of the cavern that slid down to a watchtower situated near the entrance of the HQ below. "So, we could slide down the zip-line."

NK's lips formed a straight line.

"Are you dumb? Because that plan is really, really dumb," she said dryly. "Oh, and did I mentioned that it is dumb?"

The muscular Memory T Cell shot her an annoyed look. "I don't hear you coming up any helpful suggestions either, so just shut it."

"And I suppose you're just going to leave me here while you slide down to fight off Dendritic cell all alone?"

"Hah?" MT gave her a confused look. "Of course not! You're coming with me. Why would you even think I'm going alone?"

NK straightened up as she crossed her arms.

"Oh, I don't know… Maybe because you will have my sword, and you made your intention to slide down the line? Have you really thought this through?"

"Ok, look," MT let out an exasperated breath. "This is just like our training, but this time, I need you to hold on to me and never let go. We'll slide down, and hopefully, the enemy will just ignore us."

NK continued glaring daggers at him, but her face began to show signs of being flustered. "So, that will be a no."

Below them, the war to end all wars raged on. Explosions and the terrifying howls of the dead reverberated all across the cavern. The defenders of the Thymus fought desperately to stave off the massive invaders out, but there was no doubt it couldn't last for long.

MT gritted his teeth in frustration. "What in the _Consciousness_ is your problem? I know you're not afraid of heights, so why do you not want to do this?"

She raised an eyebrow while pursing her lips. "Oh, I don't know genius… Can you guess?"

"I don't have time for this, NK!" MT snapped. His face flushed red with frustrated annoyance. "We don't have time for this! If you're upset with me using your precious sword as a handle, then I'm sorry, but it's the only way!"

"It's not that," she shook her head.

"Then what is it?!" he hissed. "You're driving me crazy, you damned inquisitor!"

Behind her closed lips, she clenched her teeth. His utter cluelessness of their situation infuriated her.

Doesn't he understand what he wanted her to do?

"You really are a dense idiot."

"And you've lost your _Consciousness_ be damned senses!" he shot back. "All you have to do is to simply cling close to me while we slide down the line. What's so wrong with that?"

NK's eyes widened and immediately felt a rush of red cytoplasm flowing into her cheeks. She turned away from her partner, determined not to let him see both anger and embarrassment coloring her face.

"N-Nothing," she stammered.

"Then why won't you cling to…" his voice suddenly trailed off.

NK peeked over her shoulders and watched her burly partner getting flustered and blushing furiously.

 _About time you noticed you, oaf._

For a long moment, both stayed silent, not wanting to be the one to break it.

NK, for her part, couldn't shake off the thoughts of how embarrassing it would be for her to wrap her arms around MT as they slide down together. For starters, it would not look good on her as a lone huntress in such a vulnerable state, hanging for dear life on someone else's shoulders. But more than that, it would be embarrassing for both of them, who always butt their heads with each other, to be clinging so intimate as if they were a long time couple like Helper T and Regulatory.

She shook her head.

There was no time for this unnecessary distraction. She should not be hampered by her feelings, she should focus instead with her mission to eradicate her enemies from the face of this world.

"Uh, so… NK..." MT attempted to start. "It's not what you think… It's…"

NK turned and strode toward MT until their noses almost touched. She glared at him with piercing eyes, but her face was still blushing crimson.

To MT's credit, he held his ground. Still, his eyes darted up, down, left, right, trying desperately to look anywhere other than in front.

Before he could speak, NK wrapped her arms around his neck while she locked her legs around his.

"There. You happy?" NK exclaimed, her expression still torn with embarrassment.

"I uh… I guess this…"

"Just take my sword and use it as a handle!" she snapped.

"Right," he nodded, still avoiding her gaze.

Without speaking another word, he turned to face toward the opening of the cavern, with NK still clinging onto him. NK blushed another shade of crimson as she realized she appeared overly eager getting attached to him. Fortunately, MT seemed not to mind as he kept quiet while unstrapping _Libertas_ from her sword belt and proceeded to hoist it on top of the zip-line.

He grabbed the sword's scabbard on both ends, making it an improvised zip-line handle.

NK, for her part, kept glancing at his face before reflexively looking away. She fought off any feelings of embarrassment as she always reminded herself of her duty.

And yet, she couldn't help but feel a sense of security embracing MT. The touch of his firm collar bones and her cheeks brushing off his rugged face somehow made her feel assured and safe.

Although they fight at almost every turn, she knew she could count on him to watch her back.

Of course, she would never admit that in front of him.

"So uh, ready, NK?"

She could feel him tightening his grip on her sword as she tightened her arms around his neck.

"Yeah. Let's get this over with."

MT nodded before stepping off the cavern's edge.

* * *

 **A/N:**

I'm back! It's been quite a while since I posted an update on this story. Apologies, but being the project manager of a project with a tight deadline is sometimes just too stressful to do any of my personal passions. The project was successfully released last November so I have some time now to write back.

Anyways, this chapter is rather short since it just features our two tsun-tsun couples, but I had a blast writing this chapter especially with NK getting all embarrassed when an ultra-dense MT asked her to cling to him. I'm very excited to write more about these two since now they finally arrived in the Thymus HQ.

The next chapter is another chapter that is not part of my original story beat. For months now I wanted to write a scene about the senile neurons in the brain but just couldn't find a slot where I could insert it. Well, it seems next chapter is a good time to showcase the neurons and what they do in the brain.

Lastly, Merry Christmas everyone!

* * *

Revision History:

\- Originally published on Dec. 25, 2019


	22. Chapter 21: The Council

**Chapter 21: The Council**

Neurosecretory cell placed a hand on the handle of the door leading to the grand hall of the _Cerebellum_. He could already hear the muffled shouts and calls of senility thrown around by his colleagues on the other side of the door.

He smiled a mirthless smile.

 _They'll slaughter me, I'm sure_. He mused.

He was late, very, very late.

The world had finally descended to REM sleep, and an emergency meeting was called out to all neurons to discuss the growing rebellion of the Archrtraitor and what actions needed to be taken. As the neuron in charge of the _Hypothalamus_ , his presence was essential to the meeting. Still, dire circumstances requiring his immediate attention kept him from attending on time. Now his colleagues were demanding for his nucleus.

He let out a sigh. He was tired and worn. He could feel his organelles begging at him to ditch the meeting and take a break. The past few days had been hectic for his office as they struggled to deal with stacks of cytokine requests begging to increase the world's temperature by another degree. Rest was never an option available to him, nor was it ever on the table for the rest of the world.

While the Archtraitor lives, there would be no rest for everyone.

He inhaled a mouthful of air before opening the doors to the _Cerebellum_.

Immediately he flinched at the deafening buzz of a billion throats.

It was chaos… pure chaos inside, and he could see clashes breaking out between the two opposing factions, which were split down into the left and the right hemispheres. Neurons specializing in logic sat on the left tiered-seats of the grand theater. In contrast, those specializing in emotions sat on the right tiered-seats.

"You useless idiots!" Neurosecretory heard a neuron swearing on a lower-tiered seat in the left hemisphere toward the neurons seated opposite of him. "You neurons from the _Amygdala_ are all irrational!"

He was immediately countered by a neuron from the right with hundreds of cable wires connected to his nucleus. "And you logic-heads are all useless with your constant analysis paralysis!"

Neurosecretory noted countless similar feuds occurring across all levels of the amphitheater as he strode toward the center where the dais of the Speaker was located.

No one seemed to take notice of his presence despite the only one moving on the middle divider of the two hemispheres. He quickened his pace until he reached the dais of the Speaker situated at the center of the amphitheater.

The cowled Speaker, who appeared resigned at the chaos the two hemispheres had devolved into, suddenly perked up when he saw Neurosecretory climbing the stairs toward his seat.

"Y-You!" the Speaker gasped. "You're supposed to be-"

"I'll explain later," Neurosecretory placed a hand on the Speaker's shoulder, grabbing his vox-amplifier.

He took one more glance at the feuding hemispheres before sucking in a deep breath.

"Silence!" he boomed, his voice echoing all across the multiple levels of the _Cerebellum_. Cobwebs of electricity fluttered in the hall's ceiling and into the vast network of cables, snaking their way to neural interfaces connected to each and every seated neuron.

Everyone stopped at whatever insult they were about to diss out. Instead, they turned their attention at the director of the _Hypothalamus_ standing next to the Speaker. Neurosecretory suddenly sensed the irritated gazes of his colleagues, and he couldn't help but widen his lips into a smirk.

"Look at you sorry lots, all bickering while the world burns!" He continued. "Are we neurons?! Or are we a bunch of platelets?!"

"Neurosecretory!" the cowled neuron sitting in the Speaker's throne stood up to face him. "You are late. You were summoned to this chamber half an hour ago! Explain your tardiness."

"I was preoccupied, Mr. Speaker," Neurorsecretory bowed apologetically.

"Preoccupied?!" shouted a neuron covered in deep crimson robes. He was seated at the left-side middle section of the amphitheater along with other neurons who looked as annoyed as he was. "REM sleep is about to end, and you have the gall to report to us at your own leisure pace?"

"I assure you, my esteemed colleague from the left," Neurosecretory placed a hand on his nose bridge to adjust his glasses. "My _leisure pace_ is far from leisure in comparison to whatever you claim to do."

That got a laugh and jeers from the neurons on the right.

The neuron in deep crimson slammed his fist on his seat. "Insolent parasite! I have you know that I am far mo-"

"Be that as it may," Neurosecretory continued, entirely ignoring his interpolator. "I do recognize my faults for being late, but be assured it was to counter the Archtraitor and not for anything else."

"We of the council are all busy countering the Archtraitor," the Speaker added. "It is not only your personal crusade, Neurosecretory, make no mistake."

 _From the progress this council is making, it would seem I'm still doing more than any of you combined._ He thought but kept his opinion to himself.

"Point of order, Mr. Speaker," a neuron from the right hemisphere stood up. Like many of his colleagues in attendance, he wore a breather mask that heavily distorted his voice to sound robotic.

"The Council recognizes the delegate from the right." The Speaker pointed at the neuron.

"Mr. Speaker, the right honorable neuron from the _Hypothalamus_ , accused this council as a bunch of bickering platelets. I demand the right honorable neuron from the _Hypothalamus_ apologize and recant his slanderous accusations."

A cacophony of grunts and murmurs reverberated all around the amphitheater.

"Denied," the Speaker responded. "We do not have time for that as of this moment, although let it be known the latecomer is admonished for speaking out of turn."

Neurosecretory bowed his head.

"Now," the Speaker started. "Tell the Council of your assessment regarding this rebellion."

Neurosecretory gave a curt nod.

"The world will face extinction in the next circadian cycle if no external help will be given."

Silence fell across the amphitheater. Neurosercretory stood unmoving beside the Speaker's pulpit. He had nothing more to say.

"That's it?" The neuron in deep crimson asked.

"Yes," he concurred.

The _Cerebellum_ exploded to a cacophony of shouts and insults.

"Order!" the Speaker banged his gavel three times.

"You are supposed to give us a detailed report of the situation, not vomit out apocalyptic predictions!" bellowed a neuron situated in the left hemisphere.

"I can give you a detailed read-out of each cytokine request or the amount of Prostaglandin E2 the _Hypothalamus_ has carried out." Neuroserectory countered. "But it is a moot point unless we ask for external support."

"Point of order, Mr. Speaker," the delegate from the right spoke, his breather mask wheezing each time he exhales.

"Denied," the Speaker exclaimed, a tinge of annoyance present in his tone. "Let me remind everyone here that this is an emergency session. Speed is of the essence. We must not be bogged down with Council procedures!"

"I object, Mr. Speaker!" the delegate from the right shouted. "It is precisely because we are in emergency se-"

"Order!" the Speaker banged his gavel. "You speak out of line, sir!"

This time, the delegate from the right didn't respond. His eyes burned with contempt but didn't challenge the Speaker.

"This goes with everyone on this gathering." The Speaker looked up to address the gathered neurons. "We constantly bicker and getting nothing done!"

"Then allow me to ask for a point of clarification instead, Mr. Speaker," The delegate from the right softened his tone. "Is that still allowed?"

The Speaker let out a long sigh as he adjusted his cowl. "Fine, that is allowed. You, sir, are now recognized."

"Thank you," The delegate from the right bowed his head before immediately proceeding to point an accusatory finger at Neurosecretory. "He comes in late, calls us a bunch of bickering platelets, and now he wants to disturb the _Consciousness_ in getting help?!"

"Order!" the Speaker snarled as he banged his gavel on his desk. "You are out of line and-"

"I will not be silenced, Mr. Speaker, it must be-"

"Order! Order!"

"-clarified to everyone the mandate of the _Consciousness_ regarding seeking medical help!"

Neurosecretory clenched his teeth. He could sense the sparks of electricity fluttering at his dendritic endings, the more he felt anger boiling inside him.

 _Still, they waste time!_ He thought. _Still, they do nothing!_

The neurons on the left took offense at the accusations of the delegate from the right, even though they were not being addressed.

The gathering immediately descended into screams of insults and jeers thrown at each other.

"The _Consciousness_ is wrong!" Neurosecretory shouted, not caring at this point at who would get offended. "The _Consciousness_ needs to know this world needs proper help! That this world will not be saved by simply drinking lemon juice and herbal tea!"

Everyone stopped whatever they were doing. Neurosecretary stared at his stunned colleagues, defiant and seething with anger.

"What… What did you say?" the delegate from the right asked in a low growl.

"You heard me," Neurosecretory crossed his arms. "I do not think I need to repeat myself a second time."

And once again, the whole amphitheater erupted into chaos. Billions of neurons spatted, yelled, and screamed at Neurosecretory, denouncing him as a blasphemer.

The Speaker pummeled his gavel on his desk, shouting for everyone to calm down, but no one was paying any attention nor cared about any decorum on this gathering.

Neurosecretory remained unmoving at the barrage of insults hurled at him. The accusations continued, and for a moment, he mused he had achieved what the Speaker could not of uniting the two hemispheres into one common cause.

It didn't last long, unfortunately.

Soon, accusations flew that he was a member of the other side's faction, and fights broke out all throughout the boundaries of the left and right hemispheres. Individual neurons fought with their fists and _Axon_ cables used as whips or ropes to strangle their opponents on the other side.

Neurosecretary balled his hands into tight fists. He felt disgusted at the infighting and indecision purported by his colleagues. Even when the world burns and the Archtraitor's armies lay waste to all that stood on their way, all these 'benevolent' ancient ones still choose to do nothing.

Suddenly, he could feel his dendritic endings tingling. He furrowed his brows and realized he could sense a built-up of electricity all across the gathering.

His colleagues also started to notice the strange phenomena as one by one they stopped at whatever they were doing. Streams of electricity coursed through the vast network of cables.

Then, without warning, the ceiling of the amphitheater erupted into a storm of light and thunder.

* * *

 **A/N:**

I wanted to try writing a scene where neurons who are heads of their specific parts of the brain were all seated inside a board room, with Neurosecretory one of them, and then a CEO like neuron barges into the room demanding answers as to why everybody effed up. Something like the intense board room scene in the movie, Margin Call.

However, I decided to stick with the grander plan of having all the neurons meet in one amphitheater, all billions of them, and just make a huge mess of it all. I know the brain is far more intricate and complex than just splitting it into the left and right brain, but again, I decided the simpler route so there would be more yelling and screaming.

Also, I kind of wanted Neurosecretory to call out his colleagues as a bunch of bickering platelets. ^^

Lastly, since this is a story about the struggles of the Cells in our bodies, I just want to wish everyone to stay safe and vigilant from any diseases or ailments.

As you know, the Coronavirus is turning to be a bigger outbreak than previously thought.

So again, stay safe, always wash your hands, and always be vigilant.

Until next time everyone!

* * *

Revision History:

\- Originally published on Jan. 31, 2020


	23. Chapter 22: Consciousness

**Chapter 22: Consciousness**

Neurosecretory didn't even have a chance to shield his eyes before the entire _Cerebellum_ was enveloped into a blinding flash of light. His instincts told him to get away, to seek cover, but his very being refused to move even for a step. He could hear a number of his fellow neurons screaming from terror, but most were like him, all frozen in their place, staring at the ceiling with awe and confusion.

The stormy clouds up above rumbled and rolled. Figures and images started to appear each time thunder cracked.

Neurosecretary watched at the flashing scenes, trying to discern their meaning. At first, it appeared these images were random, but then he realized a theme was starting to form.

"Memories?" he muttered, surprised. "The _Consciousness_ is reliving the world's memories?"

Then he perked up. He glanced behind his shoulder and noticed the terminal endings of his _Axon_ of a ponytail flickering with tiny electrical sparks.

He blinked a couple of times before swerving his attention toward his fellow neurons. They, too, had their _Axon_ terminal endings flaring with electric impulses.

Some neurons even glowed every time a particular memory was projected in the cloud. Neurosecretory noted this strange phenomenon as those neurons having their synapses associated with the current memory being shown. After a couple of seconds, another batch of neurons started glowing as another memory would begin to stir.

Neurosecretory finally understood what was happening.

It was a known fact by all inhabitants of this world that as neurons, they were the only beings that had a direct connection with the _Consciousness_. However, it was a mistake to presume that they possessed any otherworldly powers.

A neuron by itself was nothing more than an electrically charged cell that had lived since when the world still resided within the mother world. No single neuron possessed any shard of the _Consciousness_ in on themselves. If one were to pry the nucleus of a neuron, the same chromosomes could be seen in each and every cell of the world that contained a nucleus.

And yet, when billions of these ancient cells converge into one interlinking connection, the entity known as the _Consciousness_ starts to emerge. Why would such an emergence happen? It was a complete mystery to everyone.

As for Neurosecretory, it didn't matter. What mattered was his colleagues were now all focused on the ceiling as visions began to coalesce around the thunderclouds.

 _The vision was with the world interacting with other worlds._

 _Their world seemed to be in a hot and humid setting, far from their world's sphere of influence._

Neurosecretory recognized the setting of the vision. It was when their world went on a trip overseas not long ago, to a hot place their world had trouble acclimatizing its temperature.

He then remembered that time when he met the delegates of the immune system, and one of his colleagues went on a hysterical rant. The mad neuron started to make a scene, chastising the other council members why it was dangerous for the world to go on a trip overseas.

 _The vision changed to the world, interacting with a lesser and more primitive world, completely covered with thick black hair.  
_

Neurosecretary recognized the identity of the primitive world as being a 'primate'. It was said the species of their world descended from these 'primates' millions of years ago.

 _The primitive world seemed fascinated by the presence of their world as it started touching their world's arms and legs. Other worlds also joined in observing this playful, primitive world._

Neurosecretory could hear the voice of their world, laughing and speaking with other worlds who had a different complexion compared to their world.

 _Then the primitive world attempted to bite at one of their world's legs, but their world managed to apprehend the primitive world before its teeth could puncture a deep wound on their world's protective skin._

Neurosecretory heard more chuckling at the vision. He then saw the primitive world scamper away as their world started talking with other worlds.

 _That was it…_ He pondered. _That was how the virus got inside._

More visions played after that, but the clouds already began shifting again, and a couple more seconds later, the visions vanished.

A heavy silence fell upon the amphitheater as billions of neurons remained mesmerized at what the _Consciousness_ was dreaming of.

Then, the Speaker banged his gavel once, which put a stop at everybody's stupor.

"Order... " the Speaker spoke, this time his voice was leveled and measured. "Everyone, let's get back to business."

"Mr. Speaker, if I may," the neuron from the left hemisphere wearing a deep crimson robe raised his hand.

"The Council recognized the delegate from the left," The Speaker nodded at the neuron. "You may begin, sir, provided you mind the time allotted."

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker," the neuron in deep crimson nodded in turn, before moving his attention toward his gathered colleagues in the amphitheater. "Fellow ancients, it seems the _Consciousness_ has shown us a vital memory that we might have missed. It would appear the virus originated in that primitive world called a 'primate' which our world was engaging."

"Point of inquiry, Mr. Speaker?" the delegate from the right asked in his heavily modulated voice.

The Speaker nodded and gave the floor to the right's representative.

"To the honorable neuron of the left, if I may ask, how could the virus get inside when in the _Consciousness'_ memory it was seen the primitive world failed to a wound with its bite?"

"That might be the case," the neuron in deep crimson suggested. "But not getting bitten does not necessarily equate no breach has happened. Saliva could as well be enough for the virus to jump worlds into ours."

Murmurs and grunts of agreement rumbled all across the amphitheater.

Neurosecretory had to blink twice to confirm the sudden change of decorum from his billions of colleagues. From a disordered group of feuding senile cells to one more befitting of their dignified station.

The memories shown by the _Consciousness_ had stirred all gathered neurons in the _Cerebellum,_ uniting everyone to focus on the dire problem at hand.

"I told you!" screamed a neuron seated at the topmost seat of the amphitheater. "I told you fools not to go overseas! I told you it was dangerous!"

Neurosecretory turned his gaze at the screaming neuron and immediately recognized him as the one neuron who created a scene during the meeting with the delegates of the immune system.

"Your words are duly noted, honorable councilor from the right," responded the Speaker. "However, now is not the ti-"

"No, Mr. Speaker! I must say my piece, or I will be damned in silence!"

Neurosecretory anticipated this outburst would once again drag the whole council back to useless bickering, but everyone remained silent and even eager to hear the frantic neuron speak.

The Speaker made a glance at the two delegates of the two hemispheres and saw no objection at letting the councilor from the right speak his due.

"Very well honorable councilor, the floor is yours."

"This infection is Ebola!" the councilor blurted out without hesitation. "Have you not seen Kurzgesagt?! Have you not seen the symptoms and the attack? They are all similar to Ebola!"

"We've all seen the video, councilor," the Speaker replied. "But we also know that Ebola is only found far from where we went overseas. We didn't go to Africa."

"It could be a new strain that no one has found out yet!" the councilor from the right retorted. "I've warned you all about the dangers outside this country, but you cast me aside like I was nothing!"

"Enough," the neuron in deep crimson barked. "It was mandated by the _Consciousness_ that we must go overseas. It was not something we can stop. It was fated."

Neurosecretary raised an eyebrow upon hearing the word _fate_. He couldn't help but wonder at how much the world had been influenced by the C _onsciousness' be_ liefs. Like everyone else in the _Cerebellum,_ he too fully subscribed to such tenets. However, there were indeed times when he asked questions if the _Consciousness_ had correctly interpreted the world's fate or not.

"And furthermore," the left delegate added. "There's no longer any point sulking at what has already happened. What we need to focus now is on what we need to do to counter the Archtraitor."

"What is there to counter?" the delegate of the right interjected. "We already know the mandates of the _Consciousness_ regarding checking into hospitals and seeking medi-"

"And I suppose it is our fate that we all perish in the hands of this 'Ebola' virus?" Neurosecretory interrupted, his fingers air-quoting the word 'Ebola'. "That whatever twisted fate the Archtraitor thinks is hers is the correct fate for all of us?"

That immediately got the attention of everyone. None were pleasant, and most were borderline murderous.

"There you go again, Neurosecretory," the right delegate sighed and, surprisingly, seemed genuinely disappointed with him. "Are you telling us all to disobey the mandate of the _Consciousness_? Do you wish us to defy like what the Archtraitor has done to this world?"

"That would be a far better course of action than dying, don't you think?" Neurosecretory countered.

Once again, the whole amphitheater buzzed with the grumbles and murmurs of a billion neurons. Neurosecretory could hear grunts of approval at his point, but the majority seemed unfazed.

"It is true, the _Consciousness_ does not trust modern medicine," he continued. "But this does not also mean we must adhere to it to the letter."

"It is fate, no one can change that." The delegate from the right declared with finality.

"Not quite so," Neurosecretory adjusted his glasses. "The _Consciousness_ is not infallible, as many of you know."

"Careful now," the neuron in deep crimson warned in a low growl. "You are bordering on heresy, director of the _Hypothalamus_."

"No, I'm not." Neurosecretory narrowed his eyes, unswayed by the threat posed by the delegate from the left. "I'm speaking the truth. You know it. Everyone here knows it."

He raised a hand to signal everyone to stay silent. They already wasted enough time bickering and debating for a course of action. REM sleep would end any time now, and still, they haven't made any decision.

"My fellow colleagues," he started, addressing all neurons instead of the two hemisphere delegates. "We are all bound to our fates. From the least of the platelets to us, the highest-ranking cells of this world."

He paused, steadying his grip on the Speaker's vox-amplifier.

"Searching for our individual fates and forging ourselves to be worthy of such is what we all need to do." He looked up to the neurons on the left and the right to emphasize the gravity of his words. "But we must also be wary in pursuing paths that may stir us away from our true fates."

Neurosecretory saw multiple colleagues nodding in agreement. Some were even discussing his points with their neighbors. Still, some crossed their arms, sitting in silence, as if in defiance to his message.

"Fate affects us all. The _Consciousness_ is driven in search of the true fate of this world. However!"

He slapped his hands on the Speaker's podium. "Just like how the Archtraitor has twisted her senses into accepting a dastardly interpretation of her fate, so too has the _Consciousness_ has made the same error when it comes to seeking medical attention. We see it all! You know it all!"

Finally, he stretched out his arms up wide, as if inviting the skeptical gazes of a billion of his colleagues. "Now, I ask you all… Are you fated to not accept the fallibility of the _Consciousness_? Or are you fated to live beyond for countless more Circadian cycles after this infection?"

Silence. The _Cerebellum_ had descended into a soundless chamber where no neuron dared to speak. The clouds up above the ceiling no longer rumbled, and the visions had ceased to coalesce.

"If your fate does not bar you from the two circumstances," Neurosecretory lowered his hands, his shoulders sagged as if accepting that he had already done everything to save the world. "Then you must all join me in hinting to the _Consciousness_ to seek for medical help and call for an ambulance. Immediately."

* * *

 **A/N:**

There might be a big plot hole in this chapter which is Neurosecretary saying all neurons must join in 'hinting' to the Consciousness to seek medical help. But what is 'hinting' then when in the early paragraphs it was clearly mentioned neurons don't contain any shard of the Consciousness? How do the neurons 'hint' anyway? I actually left this deliberately vague and open for interpretation since I too am not an expert with regards to what Consciousness really is.

You can say when the neurons do 'hinting', they're just channeling ideas to the 'Subconscious' which in turn influences the Consciousness.

Also, as I have said before, the Consciousness I'm portraying here is an entity that 'emerges' into being when neurons gather together to form connections. Only when neurons are combined do Consciousness appears. But what really is Consciousness? If you slice a neuron, you can't find any tiny logic gates such as those in Processing Chips which holds the Zeroes and Ones of a Bit. Consciousness seems to be irreducible to individual neurons.

This is why the Neurons in my story speak of the Consciousness as a separate entity that they don't have direct contact with. You can think of the neurons as priests and they are channeling a mysterious entity called the 'Consciousness' to control their world. Whether the Consciousness is indeed an otherworldly entity or just a completely emergent product of neurons is for everyone to guess.

By the way, just to be clear, when I say Consciousness, I'm talking about you, the self-aware entity reading this chapter. ^^

Anyways, next chapter we'll once again visit U1146, AE3803, Kouhai-chan, and Platelet-chan. I'm already dying to know what happens next. XD

Again, stay safe from any flu everyone!

And Happy Valentines day!

* * *

Revision History:

\- Originally published on Feb. 14, 2020


	24. Chapter 23: I Am Loved

**Chapter 23: I Am Loved**

 _Kill her._

 _Kill her!_

 _KILL! HER!_

NT4201 wrapped her grimy hands around AE3803's neck. She could feel her fingers trembling at the thought of squeezing the life out of her senpai. It would be easy, so easy, like crushing a twig from Dendritic cell's tree. It would be swift, and it would only be painful for a few seconds before her senpai would cease to exist. It would be a fitting end for an unfaithful cell who chose the life of a worthless thrombocyte over hers.

All she needed to do was to squeeze her hands, microinch by microinch. She wouldn't even care if her senpai's neutrophil friend would end her soon after.

There was no more point in living, and if she was indeed doomed to die, at least she can drag her senpai with her.

And yet…

Her hands wouldn't close. She could feel them burning with all her hatred and repressed anger, but still, her hands refused to crush her senpai's neck.

In her crimson tinted vision, she could see her senpai's serene face, her eyes closed, and her chin slightly raised, leaving her neck completely bare.

 _If you really are evil, Kouhai-chan, then I offer you my neck… It is the least I could do to atone for my sins._

Her senpai's words echoed inside her head, filling her with even more rage.

 _Do not offer your neck to me!_ She screamed inside her mind. _Why won't you resist?! Why won't you stop me?!_

But her actual senpai said nothing, squatting motionless and defenseless in front of her.

Was she goading her to do it? Was she seriously underestimating her capacity for evil?

 _What are you waiting for? Kill her!_

 _Kill her now and embrace your fate!_

 _KILL HER!_

"ENOUGH!" she shouted, pushing AE3803 away from her. "ENOUGH! ENOUGH! ENOUGH!"

She jerked herself up to her feet, but her legs felt weak, and she quickly fell down on all fours. Her vision started to blur, fogging the faint light coming from her senpai's cap light.

"I… I can't... " she balled her hands into tight fists. Tears kept falling down her cheeks. "I just can't do it..."

"Kouhai-chan?" AE3803 crawled toward her.

NT4201 looked up, revealing a face torn with the expressions of both anger and anguish.

"I can't kill you, senpai!" she croaked, her admission seemed to drain her on the inside. "I can't ki-"

But her next words never left her lips. Before she could continue, AE3803 wrapped her arms around her into a tight embrace. Startled, she tried to back away, but her senpai won't let her.

Her senpai's arms held her in place, and surprisingly, she felt warm.

The winds blowing inside the abyss were hot and humid, but they all felt cold compared to the warmth of her senpai's embrace. The voices in her head suddenly went quiet, and for the first time since she was turned into an abomination, she felt at peace.

"What... " she muttered, trying to force the words out of her mouth. "What have I done? What have I -shut up! Shut up!"

She shut her eyes closed and buried her head on AE3803's chest.

The dark voices in her head returned to scream at her to kill her senpai. They admonished her for being weak, for hesitating at the last moment. She was too close now. All she needed to do was to rip her senpai's throat, and her transformation as an infected would be complete.

 _Kill her now!_

 _This is your chance!_

 _KILL HER!_

 _NO!_ She countered. _I… I will not!_

Then, on a softer tone, she thought. _I will not. I… I cannot._

The voices retaliated with shrills of disgust.

 _You are weak!_

 _You are nothing!_

 _You are a failure! A FAILURE!_

Every word they spat from the deep recesses of her mind felt like daggers slicing inside her head. It was painful, but this time she resisted.

 _Enough! I don't want to hear any more from any of you!_

The voices hissed at the rebuke, but she won't relent.

 _I command you all to shut up and leave me alone!_

 _You don't command us!_

 _You are one of us!_

 _You are a spawn of darkness!_

 _You are infected!_

 _You are damned!_

"No," she muttered silently. "I am loved."

She closed her eyes even tighter. She thought she was already a lost cause, that she was already damned, but she was wrong.

There was someone in this cruel world that still cared for her.

"I will always be your senpai," she heard AE3803 whispering softly in her ear. "You are not unloved, Kouhai-chan. I'm here for you."

Slowly, NT4201 wrapped her hands around her senpai's shoulders and responded with her own tight embrace.

"I'm sorry!" she blurted, her voice cracking with emotion. "I was weak and got infected by that crazy macrophage, then my head was filled with voices that told me to kill you, so I could… I cou-"

She never got to finish her sentence as torrents of tears fell down her cheeks. She cried like she never cried before. She felt ashamed, she felt disgusted with herself. She was indeed weak for succumbing to the temptations of the dark voices.

"Senpai, I… I am a-"

"You are my kouhai, Kouhai-chan. You're not evil, you're not infected, you are and will always be my dearest kouhai. That will never change."

NT4201 slowly let her arms fall as she completely surrendered herself to her senpai's embrace.

"I'm sorry, Senpai," she sobbed. "Could… Could you forgive me?"

"There is nothing to forgive," AE3803 patted her on the back. "We're together now. That's all that matters."

"T-Thank you," she mewled. She could still hear the voices cursing at her, but they now sounded far and distant. She ignored. "Thank you for saving m-"

Her ears perked up. She opened her eyes as she once again pushed her senpai away.

She stood up and stared at the vast expanse of darkness behind her senpai's cap-light.

Her senpai's neutrophil friend also started to tense up as he too gazed at the direction of where she was looking.

A second later, the antigen sensor on top of the neutrophil's cap stood up, beeping its dire warning.

"Kouhai-chan?" AE3803 asked, still fazed from being shoved away. "What's go-"

NT4201 grabbed her senpai's arm, yanking her back to her feet.

"We must go," she told her as she turned her attention at her senpai's neutrophil friend. "We must go NOW!"

U1146 nodded. He then picked up the platelet girl tagging along with her senpai, placing her on top of his shoulder.

"What's going on?" her senpai asked, her face now full of fear and concern.

"Something's coming," the neutrophil told her. "No time to explain. It's bad."

The neutrophil then looked back at her with a grim expression. "We need to get to the outskirts of the liver. There must be some external vents that we can use to sneak back in."

The neutrophil then took out a dagger hidden on the side of his left boot and then offered it to her.

NT4201 grabbed the weapon as she nodded back to him. "Understood. Lead the way."

* * *

 **A/N:**

And finally, this arc is completed or is mostly complete. It's been a learning experience for me writing Kouhai-chan. From a character that I was just there to be killed by Lady Si, to someone who's reunited with her beloved Senpai. Let's see what happens next. The team still needs to reach the liver all intact.

Speaking of which, what's Lady Macrophage doing right now?

P.S.

I'm glad I was able to publish this on a date that only comes once in 4 years. Happy Leap Day everyone! ^^

* * *

Revision History:

\- Originally published on Feb. 29, 2020


	25. Chapter 24: An Appropriate Response

**Chapter 24: An Appropriate Response**

Lady Macrophage's Warhost had grown since the time NK and MT cell left. Decimated squads of Killer T cells that took the brunt of Lady Em's sudden and unexpected attack rallied to the elder phagocyte's banner, swearing oaths of vengeance and extinction towards all who strayed from the _Consciousness'_ light. Neutrophils who survived the initial assault also started bolstering her ranks. Like their lymphocyte cell comrades, these relentless phagocytes also got their share of carnage, with all of them drenched with the crimson fluids of their enemies. A number of Natural Killer cells, Eosinophils, and B-cells also answered her call to arms, providing much-needed killing power to her Warhost.

Last to arrive were other macrophages grouped into a dozen or more entourages, all wearing monocyte armor. Unlike the bulky armor worn by their esteemed lady, theirs was a lighter version built more for agility and speed. They've also upgraded their usual arsenal of bladed and blunt weapons into their more cruel versions, such as spiked hammers and giant claymores, which even seemed more misplaced on the hands of these fair maidens.

At the front of the Warhost marched its leader, Lady Macrophage, resplendent in her ivory-white monocyte armor. Seals of parchments that detailed her long list of deeds were plastered on her heavy pauldrons, while a necklace full of protein beads she took from her fallen enemies dangled around her neck.

Even when most of her forces appeared haggard and spent from combat, she looked instead radiant and immaculate from all stains of corruption. She strode with purpose and confidence while maintaining her proper elegance despite the whirring servo-motors of her monocyte armor.

In her left hand, she gripped a mighty cleaver sword that seemed more suited for a brutish lymphocyte. It was a weapon meant to be held with both hands, but the elder phagocyte held it out only with one. Any cell from her Warhost would be hard-pressed to wield such a heavy blade, but she gripped it with surprising ease.

Accompanying the elder phagocyte was her elite cadre of bodyguards donning armors of crimson and black, forming a closed formation around her. Her Praetorian Guards consisted of macrophages, former students, who have sworn to freely give their lives for her protection.

A praetorian guard named MC-7887, a young short silver-haired macrophage who recently got promoted to captain, marched beside her lady, her eyes fixed at the enemy host at a distance.

The scene before her made her sick. What awaited them was an army of horrors that should only be allowed to exist in nightmares. Immune cells from both the adaptive and the innate systems stood haggard and worn, their uniforms tattered and covered with black ichor. Some staggered to stand with some even missing limbs and others having their ribosomes and endoplasmic reticulum spilling out from their bellies. The enemy before them was an antithesis of all that was life and holy.

They must be all destroyed.

Behind the undead army loomed a massive gray structure that stretched upwards all to the topmost levels of the abdomen.

Though MC-7887 passed by the liver almost every other day during her patrol, she still had this urge to stop and bow towards the holy organ. Cells all over the world revere the liver as a hallowed place that provides multiple functions, including the production of sacred bile used in the breakage of nutrients in the stomach. The liver also synthesizes various forms of proteins, such as those used as coagulation factors by platelets. The inhabitants of the liver, specifically the Hepatocytes, helped detoxify intoxicated red blood cells by letting them rest and meditate until they sober up.

The liver holds an essential role in the continued existence of the world, and no cell would even think of harming such an organ.

And yet despite its hallowedness, it now burns in unholy fire.

Plumes of smoke rose like ash pillars out from all the four quadrants of the liver. Multiple explosions from multiple sectors colored its gray exterior, spewing out debris, fluids, and screaming cells.

The world had finally descended to hell.

A loud boom coming out from horns behind her indicated that the last contingent of her lady's Warhost had finally exited from the major blood vessel that led them here in this vast plaza next to the entrance of the liver.

"MC-chan?"

MC-7887 turned her attention toward her lady. "Yes, master?"

Lady Macrophage gave her a smile full of warmth and with no malice. "You have my gratitude for your dedication to my safety, MC-chan, but for this battle, I must regretfully decline your protection."

The silver-haired Praetorian furrowed her brows. "I… I cannot do that master, I am sworn to-"

"You have my word, captain, no blades of the enemy shall fall upon me today," the elder phagocyte assured her. "Amidst the carnage that will sour this day, my fate will ensure my safety until I will face Em-chan."

MC-7887 opened her mouth to protest but immediately closed them as she struggled to find the right words to use.

Another blast from a nearby horn indicated for every cell in the Warhost to ready themselves for imminent battle.

"Be that as it may," the silver-haired Praetorian replied, carefully choosing her words. "You, and Lady Em, might know deep in your mitochondrions your inevitable confrontation, but everyone else does not."

She unsheathed her blade and pointed it at the waiting enemy. "The hordes of the damned in front of us do not know your fate, my master. You need our protection, and we shall gladly give you our lives so you could do battle with your errant apprentice undisturbed."

Lady Macrophage's smile widened. "I have trained you well, MC-chan. I am grateful to have been your teacher."

MC-7887's cheeks flushed red at the unexpected compliment.

"Y-You honor me deeply master," she bowed her head. "I will never fail you."

"I know," nodded the elder phagocyte. "But alas, I might fail you."

The silver-haired Praetorian's brow furrowed with confusion. "I… I don't understand."

"There are times when the fates of two individuals must cross with each other, and only one shall be allowed to prosper." Lady Macrophage clarified as she turned her gaze back toward the waiting enemy. "MC-chan, this could perhaps be the battlefield where my legacy ends."

The young praetorian captain stared at her master for a long time, noting the somber expression now plastered on her face. Lady Macrophage was always known to hide her real emotions behind a smiling mask. MC-7887 remembered well when she was coldly reprimanded by her master for failing on a mission while sporting a cheerful smile. This time, however, it was clear the elder phagocyte was troubled.

"I believe in you as much as you believe in me, master," she assured her. "This battle will be a slaughter for MT cells to remember, but we will persevere, we will be victorious."

Lady Macrophage nodded in agreement but said nothing. Her attention now wholly focused on the enemy up ahead. The elder phagocyte raised a hand, and then horns started to blare.

"It's time," the elder phagocyte muttered.

The Warhost started to gain up speed, from a walking pace to a jog. The ground rumbled from the thousands of footfalls of a moving army.

The enemy responded in kind with the screeching blares of their own horns. MC-7887 could see the whole bulk of the damned horde sally forth in unison. Even when she could see infected cells trudging forward with missing limbs and exposed organelles, they still managed to form a cohesive front. No one would be defending any strategic points today, everyone would be surging for the attack.

Their pace began to quicken. Despite Lady Macrophage's bulky armor, she led her Warhost with ease, from a jog to a half-run. The servos on her leg joints whirred in protest, but the elder phagocyte didn't even seem to break a sweat.

MC-7887 gave a quick glance at her fellow praetorians, keeping strides with their master. They moved in complete silence, their faces neutral and indifferent, in contrast to Lady Macrophage's usual smiling expression. The young praetorian captain felt assured at her sister's Stoic stance despite the looming doom up ahead. She was under no illusion that before the end of the circadian cycle, many of her fellow guards would be dead. It doesn't matter. Even if she and all the guards under her die, it would all be worth it as long as their master survives.

The incoming horde was almost upon them. MC-7887 could now discern in more detail the debauchery of the enemy. Fallen KT cells, neutrophils, NK cells, and other immune cells all race towards them, now mindless and definitely dead. A circadian cycle ago, these were one of the world's finest warriors whose loyalties and dedication to their duties were unquestionable. Now, they've become nightmarish parodies of their former lives.

MC-7887 felt her mitochondrion beating furiously with rage at the thought. Instinctively, she tightened her grip on her sword handle.

"For your honor and for the world,"she muttered an oath under her breath. "I shall destroy all of you."

The horde was almost upon them. Lady Macrophage finally raised her mighty cleaver sword up high, and the clang of a thousand unsheathed blades responded to her command.

MC-7887 also raised her sword, and in unison with her brothers and sisters in the Warhost, they let out a deafening war-cry.

The enemy responded with the horrific screams of the dead.

* * *

 **A/N:**

Back when I was in bed fighting off a fever 2 years ago, this was the scene that I was constantly imagining over and over again... a clash between infected cells against Lady Macrophage and an army of immune cells. This later gave me the idea to write a fanfic story for Cells at Work about Ebola which I watched a vid about from that famous YT channel Kurzgesagt.

We still have a long way to go. I totally messed up my estimates back then. I thought this story would just be 40-50k in length, but I'm glad I ditched the word count since I love exploring further this story. We definitely already passed the half-way point so I'm guessing another 20 or so chapters to write? (don't quote on me on these estimates!) ^^

* * *

 **PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT:**

Dear readers, as you know, we are all facing a pandemic which has severely affected a number of countries right now. Since this is a fanfic about an anime show of anthropomorphic cells in our body, I believe it's only proper for me to also reiterate here that our bodies, particularly our immune cells, definitely need our utmost care.

When the Covid-19 invades our lungs, it will start hijacking the lung's epithelial cells and force them to create more viruses. After some time, your immune cells will be called up to deal with this infection. Neutrophils and KT cells will be called up to do battle against this infection, but if you have an immune system that is compromised, this microscopic war could prove to be deadly.

As such, please do not take any chances. This is not just any ordinary flu. Several countries already have their healthcare systems seriously overwhelmed by the flood of patients. Let's do our part in 'Flattening the Curve' by practicing Social Distancing, religiously washing our hands (absolutely important!) and Community Quarantine. Our country's governments are doing what they can, let's also do our parts.

Shout out to all my readers from the US! The huge bulk of readers I get every month is always from the US. Shout out to everyone in Canada and Mexico as well who I also have a number of readers. I'm definitely grateful for all of your continued readership. Please, stay safe all of you!

Also to everyone in Europe especially in Germany, the UK, and Italy... please stay safe as well especially since, from what I hear, the infection is still getting severe.

And to everyone else, especially from developing countries like mine, the Philippines... Don't drop your guard, remain vigilant. We can all survive this!

Don't get sick, and I'll meet you again in the next chapter. ^^

...

 _For more info on Covid-19's effects on the lungs, please watch the latest Kurzgesagt video titled: The Coronavirus Explained & What You Should Do._

* * *

Revision History:

\- Originally published on Mar. 21, 2020


	26. Chapter 25: Brother Against Brother

**Chapter 25: Brother Against Brother, Sister Against Sister**

The two armies slammed into each other, and all talk of strategy and tactics evaporated into the wind.

Screams and roars of fury echoed all throughout the plaza as the battle line buckled and swayed. The two opposing factions clash with abandoned rage and raw destruction. Armors shattered, and shields broke, but the onslaught continued, driven by hatred for the other side.

On one side were the forces of light, protectors of all that were good and holy. These were the cells who remained true to their oaths in the service and protection of the trillions of inhabitants of this world. Their enemies were the corrupted and the damned, including those turncoats and oath-breakers who willingly gave themselves to the dark promises of the virus.

The world was never meant to witness such destruction between a brother against brother, sister against sister, student against teacher. It was unthinkable for immune cells, forged and bonded in the fires of war, to fight with each other. Even in cases when the immune system mistook some inhabitants of the world as hostiles, in a disorder known as an _autoimmune disease,_ these protectors of the world would never attack their own. All this carnage was completely unthinkable only a few circadian cycles ago.

And yet, these cells fought and ended their own just as quickly as they hunted down antigens in the world.

A Killer T cell roared as he plunged his gladius into the chest of an infected fellow Killer T cell. The damned KT cell let out a shriek as she raised her rusted blade to counter, but her opponent decapitated her with his other blade. The dual-wielding KT cell ripped his first gladius free from the headless corpse just in time for an infected neutrophil to slam him down to the ground.

The KT cell fell, and the feral neutrophil proceeded to bury his fangs into his throat. The dual-wielding lymphocyte let out a gurgling scream as cytoplasm drenched out from his neck. He kicked and punched in desperation, but one last jerk of the feral neutrophil's head tore out a sizable chunk of his throat's membrane. He kicked and punched no more.

The infected neutrophil stood up and howled. Triumphant in his kill, but still unsatiated, he scanned his surroundings with his crimson tainted eyes, searching for another prey to sink his teeth.

A flying spear skewered him right straight to his shoulder, knocking him a few steps back. The neutrophil screamed in rage. He searched for the prey who threw the spear, but a fog of dust conjured up by the trampling of a thousand, thousand, boots soon covered his surroundings, darkening the battlefield.

Driven only with feral instincts, he grabbed the spear with his free hand and, within one painful motion, pulled it out from his shoulder. He growled as he held the ichor dripping spear up in the air before throwing it away.

His rotting ears perked up. He swerved his attention to his right as he heard the distinct shouts of the enemy, giving orders amidst the screams of the dying.

Prey.

His lips curled into a cruel snarl, revealing sharp, decaying teeth. He roared before charging blind into the thick of the dust fog. Rage and hunger drove him forward until, finally, he saw the silhouette of a group of cells with shields.

Without any care, he lunged at the rows of riot shields interlocked together to form a wall.

He crashed into the KT cell formation and was immediately cut down by one of the shield-bearers.

"Push!" a Killer T cell with the letters 'SGT' written on his cap barked from behind the formation. "Steady now, push!"

As one cohesive unit, the KT squad trudged forward, paving the way for other units at their back.

Like the damned neutrophil, dozens of the infected came, charging forward, slamming into their shield wall with wanton abandon. The Killer T cells on the second row lunged and slashed their blades at the incoming enemy, ending them in a cold and methodical fashion.

The squad buckled from the sheer pressure of the incoming tide of the lost, but they held their ground. To step back was forbidden, and soon a mountain of corpses began to form in front of them.

"Push!" yelled the KT sergeant amidst the deafening noise of battle. "Pu-"

The KT sergeant immediately raised his head and saw an infected Natural Killer cell coming down towards him. The corrupted huntress cell had leaped out from the mounds of her dead comrades, bypassing the shield wall altogether.

The KT sergeant raised his gladius to counter, but it was all too late. The infected NK cell fell on him fiercely, sending him down to the ground.

He snarled as he tried to fend off his opponent with his bare hands. The NK cell hissed as she swiped and sliced with her clawed fingers. He realized she no longer possessed any eyes but instead had empty eye sockets, the color of the abyss.

"Sergeant!" cried one of his squadmates.

For just a brief microsecond, he turned his gaze at a fellow KT cell beside him about to decapitate his attacker, only to see another NK coming down at his comrade.

Before a KT sergeant could shout a warning, the second NK fell on his squadmate, ending him with a swift slash with her blade.

"Yyyyooouuuu ssshhhooouuullldd nnnooottt llloookkk aaawwwaaayyyy!" hiss his eyeless attacker.

The KT sergeant never had a chance to reply as his attacker plunged her claws into his chest.

Unlike the feral neutrophil before her, the corrupted huntress cell wasted no time savoring her victory and instead proceeded to fight the KT shield bearers from their backs.

A KT cell from the second row turned to face her, blade and shield at hand. A companion also broke from the shield wall formation to face the other corrupted NK cell, and the two met them head-on.

A duel ensured. Blades met claws, shields met talons. The eyeless huntress laughed as she let out a fury of swipes at her opponent. Her other corrupted sister fought with the same glee and malice as hers.

Their two burly opponents fought hard, but soon it was clear they were severely outmatched. These lymphocytes fought with a rigid fighting style that almost made them open DNAs for the fallen huntresses to read. They were in total adherence to their day-to-day training, which made them too predictable.

Soon, the two corrupted huntresses got the upper hand. A few seconds later, the eyeless NK cell landed a fatal blow to her opponent's throat, while her sister managed to gouge off the eyes of her opponent.

Without checking if her prey was totally dead, the eyeless huntress lunged at the shield bearers, stabbing two of them in the back and opening a breach in the shield wall. At the same time, a new wave of the corrupted rushed in to overwhelm the remaining shield-bearers who were now in complete disarray.

One by one, they fell as scores of feral cells swarmed them, all craving to satiate their lust for carnage.

The corrupted NK cell let out a sharp cackle from the devastation she'd unleashed. Black cytoplasm oozed from her empty eye sockets, and she licked them off with her overly long tongue. The screams of the dying KT cells invigorated her to inflict more violence on their enemy.

The sounds of horns blared nearby, and the corrupted huntress turned her attention towards it.

Her lips curved into a wide grin.

She dashed towards the direction of the horns, her clawed hands opened wide in anticipation for another series of murders. Her fallen sister also sprinted beside her, not even waiting for other corrupted cells to join them.

This new group of prey would be theirs and theirs alone. They were huntresses who were bred to kill the antigen and the heretic without mercy, and even if they had fully turned their backs from the light, it does not change their core instincts as ruthless killers.

Only their targets have changed.

The eyeless NK charged in anticipation of the kill. Even when she couldn't see, she could still sense the aura of power emanating from her target.

She laughed. This time, her opponents were not the usual sloggers of the immune system. She'd finally found them, her former teachers, her handlers, her-

A blur of white and gray appeared beside the wretched huntress, slicing her into multiple pieces with a crackling power sword. The eyeless huntress still had her lips formed in a wide grin as her head fell off from her neck.

MC-7887 barely registered her kill before clashing with the other corrupted NK cell in a flurry of blades and claws. The second fallen huntress lasted for another five seconds until the silver-haired captain swung her blade into a wide-arcing slash, ripping her off in two.

MC-7887 stood a step back from her kills, readjusting her grip on her shimmering blade, waiting for the corpses of her slain foes to move. The rest of her guards passed her by as they met the charging horde of the infected now that they've satiated their hunger ravaging on the doomed KT shield-bearers.

As expected, the bodies of the two fallen huntresses began to convulse. A wretched creature with spindly legs crawled out from the sliced neck of the eyeless NK cell while another one burst out from the chest of her companion.

MC-7887 plunged her sword into one virus abomination while the other let out a high-pitched screech as it lunged for her face. She shifted her footing and then slashed her blade upward, catching the virus creature mid-flight, slicing it in two.

The silver-haired captain allowed herself to take in a deep breath to steady herself. Around her, clouds of dust swirled as the tides of battle shifted and swayed. The deafening sounds of cells screaming and dying reverberated across the battlefield. A rustic tang permeated in the air as the ground began to fill with a sea of corpses.

Still, it was too early to know for sure who was winning or not, the battle could go in any direction.

"MC-chan?" A voice called her out from behind.

The silver-haired captain turned and then offered a slight bow to her lady.

"Master," she started. "This sector is secured. Should we move to another breakpoint?"

Lady Macrophage didn't respond as she continued to stare at the dust cloud forming in front of them.

Even when MC-7887 fought the two fallen huntresses, she still kept a tab on her lady. However, she couldn't understand how the massive blade her master wielded was now dripping with crimson cytoplasm while her armor remained immaculately white.

"Shall we move to another breakpoint?" she repeated.

"I prefer we remain here," the elder phagocyte decided but didn't elaborate further.

A fog of dust and soot directly in front of them prevented the praetorian captain from looking deeper into the enemy line. Though a few stragglers managed to charge their way towards them, she'd noticed a sudden lull of a coordinated attack coming at them. The rest of the sectors were still clearly in the heat of battle.

MC-7887 tightened her grip on her blade once more. She turned back toward her fellow praetorian guards who were now mopping up the last surviving infected cells that descended upon the doomed KT shield-bearers.

She raised her blade. "Sisters! Rally to me! Protect our master!"

Immediately, the praetorian guards moved back to form a tight perimeter surrounding the elder phagocyte.

Behind them, the remaining Neutrophil and Killer T cell squads fall back as thousands of warriors in white stepped forward.

The macrophages, both in their maid uniform or monocyte armor, had finally committed themselves to do combat. They strode to line up with Lady Macrophage and her guards, forming a solid battle line many warriors deep.

In peacetime, these phagocytes would have been teachers, nurses, and maids for the rest of the cells in the world. They were loved and well respected for their selfless kindness. However, in battle, they were ruthless warriors who had perfected the art of killing elegantly.

"MC-chan, get ready," whispered Lady Macrophage. "My apprentice has finally arrived."

As if on cue, dark silhouettes could be seen coming out from the dust cloud upfront. A low rumbling blare of a horn announced the arrival of the enemy's elite. From the fog came out scores of warriors in olive-green armor, their faces hidden behind hoods and masks clearly crafted from the proteins of their victims. Those that didn't hide their faces revealed the virus abominations perched on top of their heads like spiked berets with their spindly legs digging deep into their temples.

The macrophages who had chosen damnation over the light finally revealed themselves. Like their loyalist counterparts, they wield the same oversized weapons of war, only theirs bear the signs of corruption and taint.

They trudged forward, not minding the scores of corpses under their boots. They trampled both their enemies and their allies, some even climbing the mound of the dead that had formed in the assault against the KT shield-bearers.

MC-7887 and the rest of her guards tensed. The real enemy had come to do battle that would ultimately decide the fate of the world. She made a quick glance at her master and saw Lady Macrophage seemingly relaxed and composed, with her signature smile plastered on her lips.

Finally, a macrophage in a hulking monocyte armor appeared, walking past the other phagocytes to stand in front of them.

The silver-haired captain clenched her teeth to steady her boiling anger.

The Archtraitor, at last, had come to show herself. Her face was pale and ashen, while her eyes glowed with furious amber. Gone was any semblance of beauty or elegance all macrophages were taught to possess.

Lady Em towered over her conspirators, clad in crimson plates of heavy armor. She was massive and bloated with corruption. A rusted chain with the cytoskulls of her fallen enemies dangled around her pauldron and belt. Black ichor dripped down her temple, coming out from the virus-creature perched on her head that seemed to pulse with power.

In her hand, she carried a massive reaper-scythe known as _Plagueharvest_.

"Master," said the Archtraitor as she bowed her head in genuine respect. Surprisingly, her voice remained unchanged despite her physical transformation. "It is good to see-"

A burst of white light flashed, and a shockwave of hot air boomed out from where the Archtraitor stood.

MC-7887 jaws fell in dumb surprise. Even with her trained senses, she failed to follow Lady Macrophage's sudden attack on her apprentice.

In front of her, two phagocytes dueled, reaper versus cleaver, thunder versus lightning.

The master had finally decided to lecture her apprentice.

Without saying a word, MC-7887 raised her power-sword and charged.

* * *

 **A/N:**

Lady Macrophage has always been an enigmatic character to write. From when she called NK cell a 'wretched worm' to reverse-psychology her to attacking her apprentice before she could speak. In my initial draft, Lady Em and Lady Macrophage are supposed to exchange some dialogue before they duel. However, when writing the last part, I realize there's nothing for Lady Macrophage to talk to with her apprentice. That actually caught me off by surprise just like MC-7887. For now, she'll let her blade do all the talking.

Oh and I've commissioned additional artwork from my artist friend which I'll be posting in my Wattpad entry in a few a weeks time. I haven't updated my Wattpad entry since I wish to write more chapters here while waiting for more art commissions.

Btw, if you wish to make artworks for this fanfic, please don't hesitate to PM me. ^^

Lastly, thank you all for those who sent their messages regarding my PSA last chapter especially to my US readers. This wretched pandemic is still going strong, but I know we'll eventually defeat it. In the meantime, please stay safe, wash your hands for twenty seconds, and follow social distancing. Again, Covid19 IS NOT the same as the flu. It's worse than the flu. Flu is just a platelet compared to Covid19. Please take this virus seriously.

Lastly, lastly, a HUUUUGE shout-out to all front-liners, nurses, doctors, police, soldiers, and everyone else doing their job to fight off this pandemic. You are all our modern-day heroes. Thank you for your service!

* * *

Revision History:

\- Originally published on Apr. 4, 2020


	27. Chapter 26: A Promise to Keep

**Chapter 26: A Promise to Keep  
**

" _So Fountain-kun finally defeated you?" a voice from behind asked._

" _Yeah," he said, without turning his head towards the speaker. He was sitting on the edge of a window located on the topmost empty floor of their dormitory, overlooking the training field below. "That idiot just got lucky."_

" _Did he now? From what I saw, he soundly beat you up with his signature Falcon-Punch."_

" _Hah!" He sneered as he adjusted his glasses. "I still can't believe he actually learned such skill and then gave it a stupid name."_

" _If it works, then it's not stupid."_

 _He turned his head to his left and saw a girl with blonde hair tied up in a braided bun with long side-locks that curled up at the tip. She wore the same uniform as his, which consisted of a plain white shirt, army pants, and combat boots.  
_

 _For a second, he could feel one of his mitochondrions skipping a beat as his eyes met with hers._

 _It was not too long ago after their graduation that he confessed his feelings for her, not expecting his confession to succeed. Surprisingly, she reciprocated his feelings for him, and the two became a couple, though they tried to hide it from their classmates.  
_

" _Well, it's not optimal," He tried to reason out as his partner leaned in closer to inspect the bandages plastered on his left cheek. "You… You don't need to shout the name of the move while performing the punch. It's… It's just too stupid."_

 _His blond-haired partner continued to look closer at him, noting at the other places on his membrane that got injured from Fountain-kun's secret move._

 _"But you're the one who suggested it to him in the first place, did you not?"  
_

" _Pfft." he jeered. "I-I don't know what you're talking about."_

 _"I think you do," his partner countered. "You saw Fountain-kun crying again, so you devise a technique that even an idiot could master in no time."  
_

 _He looked away._

" _All I did was give him the notes on how to properly release the cytotoxins, perforin, granzymes, and granulysin within us and channel them into one single attack. I didn't think he would call such a scientific-based attack with a stupid name as a Falcon punch."_

 _Her partner tilted her head, giving him a quizzical look. "You are indeed a good friend, I can see it now."_

" _Hah? Me? Friends with that oaf?" He stepped back from the window's edge to stand. "Blondie-chan, you must be mistaken."_

" _I never make mistakes, Glasses-kun." she countered. "I'm sure you are aware of such facts when I accepted your confession?"_

 _He smiled and once again stared at her cool emerald eyes. He leaned closer as he placed a hand on one of her cheeks._

" _Listening to you say 'yes' to my confession was the greatest thing that has ever happened to me in my entire life," he whispered. "Thank you Blondie-chan, you made me such a happy cell."_

 _Before her partner could reply, he gently pressed his lips on hers as she wrapped her arms around him._

 _For a long time, they didn't move as they savored each other's warmth and affection. The sound of footsteps climbing the stairs stopped them from their embrace. They stepped back from each other just in time for a lady in a white maid uniform to appear from the stairs._

" _Good afternoon, Lady Macrophage," both thymocytes bowed with respect._

" _Ara Ara?" the elder phagocyte quipped with her usual cheerful smile. "What might bring you two here in this deserted corridor?"_

 _The two immediately tensed up._

" _I was uh," Glasses-kun began, struggling to find the right words to say as well as trying his best not to blush. "I was just resting here afte-"_

" _I came here to find Glasses-kun, and when I did, we ended up kissing." The blond-haired thymocyte declared, her lips pursed into a straight line._

 _Glasses-kun instantly went red from embarrassment._

" _Blondie!" He whispered through gritted teeth._

 _As for the elder phagocyte, she placed a hand on her mouth as she let out a chuckle._

" _Oh my, you're surprisingly bold, Blondie-chan," Lady Macrophage began, a hint of admiration could be seen on her face. "I expect nothing else from our Regulatory T Cell candidate."_

" _Thank you, milady," Blondie-chan nodded. "I will not fail you."_

" _I have my complete trust on you, upcoming Regulatory T Cell-chan," Lady Macrophage then turned her attention to her partner. "And the same can be said for you, Glasses-kun, you will make a Fine Commander as a Helper T Cell."_

" _You honor me, milady," Glasses-kun bowed low in deep respect. "I know such a task will be challenging, but I will not fail you."_

 _Then, she grabbed his partner on the waist, pulling her closer to him. "We will not fail you… We will not fail the world."_

Helper T opened his eyes and saw destruction all around him, tinted with the color of crimson. The sound of Klaxons wailed their high-pitched screams around him. He closed his eyes again, and everything went black.

He felt so exhausted. He tried to focus his mind on waking up, but the more he concentrated, the more he wanted to go back to the silent bliss of undisturbed rest.

And yet, something was insisting him to open his eyes and wake up.

But for why?

 _Why was everything all red?_

 _Why were the sirens blaring?_

 _What was the emergency?_

He wanted to remember, but his memories appeared like broken RNA his ribosomes had a hard time decoding.

Once again, he attempted to wake up. He slowly opened his eyes and was again greeted by the screeching blares of klaxons and the blinking hues of red and yellow hues. He shut his eyes, and the noise and sickening lights disappeared.

He felt no pain in the darkness, it insisted for him to say, but soon he heard a voice called out to him to remain awake at all costs. The voice sounded faint and distant, but gradually, it became clearer and closer.

It was the voice of someone he knew, someone he cared, someone, he loved.

It was the voice of his partner.

For the third time, he opened his eyes once more and saw a woman with blond hair and curly locks kneeling beside him.

"Re-Regu… Regulatory?" he croaked and immediately winced at the sharp pain, coursing all through his membrane and organelles. He was sitting on the floor and leaning on a wall. Smears of caked cytoplasm stained his uniform, and he realized he was injured.

"My love," his partner replied amidst the wails of the sirens. "I'm here with you. Don't worry."

A hundred thoughts swirled around his nucleus, and it took all his willpower not to faint once again. He attempted to stand up, but the pain in his chest kept him in place.

"W-Wha… What h-happened?" he labored to ask.

Regulatory cell said nothing but swerved her attention to a body lying a short distance from them.

He followed her gaze and saw a maid lying face down on the floor with her cytoplasm forming a red puddle around her.

"You fought a traitor macrophage and defeated her," the blond-haired cell replied. "Barely."

He continued staring at the downed maid and realized her skin was unusually pale, and she wore a disgusting looking cap with spikes and a long chitinous tail.

He remembered everything.

"Did we... " he winced with pain. "Did we stop them?"

"Yes," Regulatory nodded. "For now."

Once again, she shifted her attention to her surroundings, and he once more followed her gaze.

The command center was in ruins. Terminals and interfaces used to monitor the armies of the immune system lay destroyed and burned during the fight. Corpses of his staff littered the floor alongside those they fought off.

When the last doors to the command center were breached, everyone took up arms to mount a desperate defense. He, too, joined in repelling the enemy and instead got almost mortally wounded by a fallen macrophage.

"Is everyone dead?" he asked, not really wanting to know the answer.

"We are the only ones left," his partner said grimly.

"Then we've… we've failed." His shoulders sagged in despair. "Everyone died in vai-"

He coughed and spat out a mouthful of cytoplasm. Regulatory cell held his hand to calm him down.

"Den… Dendritic c-cell betrayed us," he declared through gritted teeth. "That bastard b-betrayed us!"

"He is coming," his partner said with certainty. "He will use our comm channels to broadcast his self-kill code to all our forces."

As an antigen-presenting cell, Dendritic cell works as a messenger between the forces of the innate and adaptive immune system. He could also activate cells during a battle, boosting their powers for a short period. He also could activate the self-termination codes to a compromised cell to prevent any corruption from spreading.

However, now that he had turned his back from the light, there was no stopping him from using his powers to end the lives of healthy cells prematurely.

"We can't… let him… do that..." he wheezed. "Please, Reg, help me get up."

"No." Regulatory placed a hand on his chest, staving him off from rising up. "You stay here, my love, you must not get up."

"I-I can still fight," he assured her, though his pained expression betrayed his statement.

Regulatory cell leaned closer to his face until their eyes were leveled. "No, you can't. Not with your injuries."

As if on cue, a surge of pain from his chest made him wince and pant for air. "But… But I c-can't let you fight alone…"

She shook her head. "I am here to share with your burdens, my love. That also means fighting at your stead when you cannot."

For a long moment, he continued locking his gaze with hers, noting all her facial features and minute expressions. This was the face that made his mitochondrion skip a beat many circadian cycles ago. He loved her more than anything else in this world. If a concept like fate really existed, then there was no question that the two, among all the trillions of cells in this world, were meant for each other.

"I…" His vision started to blur. He blinked a couple of times and felt tears running down his cheeks. "There's no point in living without you. The world can b-burn for a-all I care and-"

"I know, my love," Regulatory interrupted him before he could continue to spew out more unsavory views. "But we promised Lady Macrophage after our graduation we will not fail her or this world. I still intend to keep that promise."

Finally, she stood up. He noticed that her office uniform had multiple tears from battle, while grime and dried cytoplasm stained her sleeves and blouse. "All is not lost. If we defeat Dendritic cell, then we can use his cytokine code to unleash a-"

"Cytokine Storm."

Regulatory turned and instinctively stepped in front of her injured partner.

A newcomer stood in front of the destroyed doors of the command center wearing a green business suit and a tie.

"I believe you are referring to a Cytokine Storm, yes?" the newcomer asked, his lips forming a sinister grin. "If it helps ease any doubts, yes, I can activate such a last-ditch effort to defeat this invasion."

He loosened his tie and collar to take out a necklace with a small card. "But first, you need to get this from me."

"Dendritic cell," Helper T cell growled through clenched teeth. Again, he tried to get up, but the pain in his chest made him go slump back on the floor. "You damn traitor!"

* * *

 **A/N:**

And we're back to the Thymus HQ. It's been a long time since we saw our lovely couples, Helper T and Regulatory T cell. I have to read back the part in the Manga where we see Regulatory T cell in action so as to give an accurate or similar portrayal of herself in the fanfic. She's badass and actually a capable cell although somewhat a bit ditzy sometimes.

She's always serious and I applied the same personality of her in the manga into this fanfic. However, unlike our two tsundere couples, I also picture her as very direct and not embarrassed to show her affection toward her partner. I got this personality quirk not from the manga, but from what real-life Regulatory T Cells (or Tregs) actually do.

As their name suggests, they 'regulate' the cells of the immune system once they go out of their way and attack the healthy cells in the body in a disease known as an 'autoimmune disorder'. This is further portrayed when Helper T cell was despairing that he didn't care what happens to the world as long as he was with Regulatory cell and she stopped him from saying any further.

Btw, if you want to know how absolutely badass Regulatory cell is in the manga, I suggest Chapter 24 and 25.

Stay safe everyone!

* * *

Revision History:

\- Originally published on Apr. 10, 2020


	28. Chapter 27: The Heretic

**Chapter 27: The Heretic**

 _They made her kneel on the floor with her hands tied behind her back._

 _Every molecule in her membrane ached with pain, and she could feel her face swollen from the abuse she got during her torture. Her vision blurred from tears mixed with red cytoplasm, and every time she tried to focus her eyes, a spike of screeching agony shot up into her nucleus._

 _How long had they kept her here in this closed and darkened room?_

 _An hour? A day? Two?_

 _How many of her captors were inside?_

 _She could see six of her opponents surrounding her in a circle. However, the sole illumination inside the room fell only on her, and the rest stayed precisely at the light's edge, making their presence as unmoving silhouettes.  
_

 _It didn't really matter now. She had no illusion of ever leaving this room alive._

 _One of the silhouetted figures stepped into the light and knelt before her. Her captor wore the white maid uniform of a macrophage and a large bonnet hat that covered a part of her short caramel-brown hair._

 _Even with her eyes swollen enough that she couldn't focus properly, she still recognized the face of the captor in front of her._

" _E-Em…" she croaked, barely audible._

" _Phi," her captor greeted her by way of a bow._

" _You're… corrupted…" the battered macrophage said. It was not a question._

 _The first apprentice of Lady Macrophage smiled as she focused her crimson eyes on hers._

" _Even now you still deny the tenets of Fate that the Consciousness and of our master adheres to," Lady Em cooed. "Those I visited in their death throes called me various names, but each and every one of them did not fail to call me a traitor."_

 _Then, the first apprentice leaned closer to glare at her captive. "And yet here you are stating the obvious but never calling me a traitor. Why is that? Is it because to call me as such implies I have a choice to remain in the light or not? And with the faculties to make choices also implies I have the ability to choose my fate?"  
_

" _F-Fate is n-not real…" Lady Phi replied with added strain in her voice._

" _A horrible proposition," Lady Em feigned shock. "It still baffles me even now why you would harbor such assertions. Fate is a journey in search of one's purpose in life. Do you not desire for a purpose in life?"_

" _W-We are cells… We are not the s-same as the C-Consciousness," Lady Phi retorted back. She could feel a sharp pain piercing through her head every time she forced herself to speak. "Our p-purpose is hay-wired into our n-nucleus… It is not something we are supposed t-to choose or to p-pursue."_

 _Lady Em finally averted her gaze._

" _A shame really," the first apprentice shook her head, her expression turned crestfallen with disappointment. "And here I was hoping for you to see sense that our actions and choices are in accordance with our fates."_

" _You n-never had a choice..." the battered macrophage countered. "O-Once you were i-infected, you were already c-corrupted."_

" _I had a choice!" Lady snapped. She bared her teeth in a snarl as she stood up to loom over her captive. "I always had! In the crucial seconds that I struggled with the virus infecting me, I had the choice to commit apoptosis or not!"_

 _Apoptosis or cellular suicide. Once a cell was compromised or injured by external factors, it can perform the ritual of self-termination to prevent a contagion or a defect from within to affect the rest of the world. Apoptosis on a mass scale could also happen once the proper codes were given to the condemned cells._

 _Aside from the other various roles performed by macrophages, they also have the sacred role of giving proper disposals to cells that have committed apoptosis for the greater good._

 _"It was not through the machinations of the virus that I got infected, it was through my choice!" the first apprentice shrieked, almost bordering on the hysterical. "At first, I resisted, I admit, but in the end, I allowed the virus to insert its RNA into me while still having the faculties to slit my throat!"  
_

 _Then she knelt back to face once more her kneeling captive._

" _I am no slave, do you hear me, you wretched worm?" her voice low, almost like a growl. "I am the master of my fate!"_

" _Your choice…" Lady Phi started, her voice hoarse and on the verge of cracking. "Is an illusion…"_

 _For a long moment, Lady Em did not respond. Both locked their gazes at each other, one was of fire and rage, the other resigned and spent._

 _Then, the first apprentice chuckled, which gradually became a burst of loud maniacal laughter.  
_

" _If that is your interpretation of what happened to me, then so be it." Lady Em showed her a smile bereft of any warmth. "We can agree to disagree. I am no tyrant, and so I shall respect your views. We could spend ages debating the metaphysical concept of fate and still not come into an agreement."_

 _Then with a gesture that only an infected cell could perform, Lady Em opened her mouth wide as a creature of nightmares began crawling out._

 _The abomination then skittered its way with its spindly legs into the first apprentice's left hand._

" _When I got infected, I viewed it as an integral factor for my fate," the first apprentice mused. "But for a heretic like you, Phi, this is simply the natural occurrence of a deterministic reality."_

 _Lady Phi stared at the thing that just crawled out from the first apprentice's mouth then into her eyes, which now burned with cold fury._

 _Finally, the battered macrophage bowed her head and waited for her corruption.  
_

-0-0-0-

NK shifted her footing and deftly evaded a massive lightning maul to the face.

She spun around before slashing _Libertas_ at the pale-face maid.

With such a heavy weapon, the infected macrophage should not be able to swing it around as easily as a sword. By all projections, NK should have landed a straight slash at the maid's exposed neck, ending her last obstacle blocking her from the command center.

However, with a feat exceeding beyond comprehension, the infected macrophage yanked back her massive blunt weapon just in time to block _Libertas_ from decapitating her neck.

Blade struck maul instead of soft membrane.

The huntress cell muttered a curse under her breath.

With NK's counterattack thwarted, the infected macrophage renewed her assault, swinging, and circling her maul at blurring speed.

The huntress cell ducked, spun and jumped just to avoid getting hit. There was no use blocking such a huge blunt weapon with her blade and risk getting obliterated. One hit was all it took, and no armor or deflection from _Libertas_ would save her from a direct smash.

She somersaulted a couple of steps back just in time to evade the crushing impact of the giant maul.

NK landed in a crouch position far enough for her to catch her breath. The maid began lifting her weapon with her right hand as if it weighed nothing more than a platelet.

NK snarled with frustration. She could already see the entrance to the command center, and still, this insane macrophage blocked her.

After sliding down on a zip line to the training ground with Memory T cell, she immediately sprinted into the Thymus Headquarters to secure Helper T and the command center. She slew all infected cells in her path, showing them no quarter or mercy. Her rage and desire to atone for her past failure drove her on with haste, leaving her partner to play catch up and finish off any enemy that would refuse to die.

Now only one opponent remained to stand in her way from the command center only a few micrometers away from her.

The pale-faced maid rested the head of her maul on her shoulder as if it weighed nothing.

NK narrowed her eyes. Her opponent was definitely no ordinary macrophage.

"So, are you just going to stand there and do nothing?" NK taunted with a snide grin. "You must be tired carrying that stupid hammer of yours."

The infected macrophage made no attempt to make a reply. She remained motionless without even any hint of being exhausted from carrying her heavy weapon.

NK stood up and swayed her head from side to side until she heard a popping sound coming from her neck.

"You know," she started, continuing to do stretching and cracking of her knuckles. "For a bunch of maids who love to talk about fates, you change yours the instant you have the chance. Hypocrite much?"

The infected macrophage shook her head.

"I don't believe in fate."

NK blinked and had to do a double-take on what her opponent just said. "Say what now?"

"I don't believe in fate." The battle maid repeated.

"Uh, you are one of the ten apprentice generals of Lady Macrophage, right?" NK asked, visibly confused.

"That is correct," the infected macrophage bowed her head as she performed a curtsy. "My name is Lady Phi, the sixth apprentice general of Lady Macrophage."

"And you're telling me you don't follow all that mumbo jumbo talk about fate?"

"I do not subscribe to the teachings of Lady Macrophage as Lady Em does," Lady Phi replied, her face neutral and expressionless. "We are but one in a trillion of cells in this world. Talks of fate mean nothing to me, nor does it have any practical use within our lives."

NK's grin widened further with amusement. "Well, at least, there's two of us who don't believe in all that nonsense."

Just then, she heard the sound of heavy footfalls running at a fast pace behind her.

"NK!" The newcomer called her out.

"Yeah?" The huntress responded without looking back at her approaching partner. "What took you so long?"

MT cell stood beside her, panting to catch his breath.

NK stole a quick glance at her partner and saw him drenched with cytoplasm and grime. In his left hand, he carried his chainblade, a nasty-looking weapon with sharp rows of teeth running down on one side.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," the burly Memory T Cell whispered under his breath. "Who's the maid?"

NK ignored him, though she felt relieved he had finally caught up with her. Fighting the sixth apprentice of Lady Macrophage alone was already hard enough, perhaps a companion at her side would increase her odds of winning.

"Ready for round two?" NK hollered as she proceeded to an attack stance. Her burly partner also readied himself for another battle.

On the other hand, their opponent stood unmoving like a statue. To the uninitiated, she appeared completely off-guard and wide open for attacks. The two immune cells, however, knew not to underestimate this pale-faced maid.

"In the count of three," NK whispered to her partner.

MT nodded and proceeded to tighten his grip on his chainblade.

"One… Two…"

The sounds of a furious battle echoed from the entrance of the Command Center, followed by the sound of deranged laughter.

For just a fraction of a second, NK's concentration faltered, and her eyes twitched to look at the entrance of the Command Center.

That was all Lady Phi needed to make her move.

The sixth apprentice blurred for an instant and then appeared right in front of the huntress cell.

NK clenched her teeth at the sudden attack. She slashed her blade straight at the battle maid, but Lady Phi countered it with a mighty swing of her maul. This left NK wide open, and her opponent lunged her free hand at her exposed neck, grabbing her with a chokehold.

The battle maid then spun around to block a descending chain blade aimed straight at her head.

MT's weapon roared. Rows of sharp chain-teeth screeched on Lady Phi's massive maul.

NK let out a gurgling sound as she grabbed her opponent's outstretched arm with hers. Her feet struggled to find purchase, but Lady Phi raised her up just a microinch above the ground.

The pressure on her throat was immense. Signals of pain shot up into her nucleus, and it took all her willpower just to remain focused on the enemy.

Then she realized her other hand still held _Libertas._

"Stand down, Miss NK," the battle maid requested. Her emotionless eyes stared into the huntress cell's own. "Sheath your blade for now. I may lose an arm, but you will lose your neck."

As if to put an emphasis on her request, she squeezed her hand, wrapping around NK's throat.

Lady Phi then turned to look at Memory T Cell.

"Stand down as well, Lieutenant," she reiterated even as MT pushed his chainblade further on her maul. "If you wish to enter the Command Center, you need to stand down."

"Your words mean nothing, oath-breaker!" MT snarled.

It was only for a moment, but one of Lady Phi's brows twitched at hearing the insult.

"Dendritic is inside," the battle maid revealed, ignoring MT's barb. "If you continue to fight me, you will forfeit your only chance to stop him."

As a gesture of her sincerity, she released her grip on NK's throat, dropping the huntress cell down, panting and gasping for air.

Seeing his partner no longer getting choked at, MT switched off his chain blade and took a step back.

"Why?" asked the burly Memory T Cell, still keeping his poise to strike the second he detected treachery.

NK, for her part, staggered back to her feet. She wrapped her free hand on her neck to massage away the pain.

Lady Phi once again rested the head of her maul on top of her shoulder.

"As I said to Miss NK, I do not believe in fate." Lady Phi reiterated. "There are no master plans for us to follow. Our own impulses drive us, nothing more, nothing less."

"My impulse tells me to slit your throat right here, right now," NK growled as she tightened her grip on her blade.

"As it should be, for it is in your nature to do so, not because of some higher reasons like fate," the battle maid said, as a matter of fact, ignoring the deadly glare the huntress cell was giving her. "I would like to remind Em of that fact."

"What?"

"The success of Dendritic cell here is integral to Em's plan," Lady Phi further explained. "I would like for that plan not to succeed."

"You will let us through to spite the Archtraitor?" NK said carefully. "Isn't that going against your nature?"

Lady Phi shook her head as she pointed at the virus perched on top of her head. "I seemed to be a mutation of sorts. I am not entirely sure, but I'm not exactly the same as with Em, which could explain why I still harbor my loathing for her even after getting corrupted."

NK's eyes focused on the virus on top of Lady Phi's head and realized she was telling the truth. The virus looked almost like any of those nightmarish creatures perched on all infected cells except for some subtle variation. It had far fewer spikes, a shorter chitinous tail, and its hide was a color of dark blue instead of the typical red and black.

The sound of battle inside the Command Center grew in volume and frequency. She can't waste any more of her time talking to this anomaly.

"I will still hunt you down," NK pointed her sword at the battle maid. "That's a promise."

Without waiting for an answer, NK sprinted towards the Command Center. MT hesitated for a second, still glaring at the sixth apprentice for any sign of betrayal, before hurrying to catch up to his partner.

Lady Phi watched the two lymphocytes disappear inside the Command Center, her face passive and emotionless.

"Find me once you stop Dendritic cell," she muttered before walking towards the opposite direction.

* * *

 **A/N:**

And here we finally see some glimpse of Lady Em's insanity.

We also finally get some explanation as to why the Macrophages tend to think getting infected is a 'choice'. They believe that since they could commit suicide before getting completely infected (via apoptosis), once they are infected, it's expected for them to end their lives or if they continue living, they'd be branded as traitors.

In addition, not all cells were given any chance to perform apoptosis. Those who were "killed", or severely wounded, and later infected by the macrophages can't kill themselves and they remain mindless like the lieutenant KT cell Lady Em fought outside of the liver.

Now some disclaimer, I haven't really seen any research papers or medical sites that say cells can commit apoptosis on their own if they're infected (NK cells can induce apoptosis to damaged/infected cells). However, I did see some sources saying cells can induce apoptosis by themselves if they're damaged ( **Source:** biology-pages (d o t) info / A / Apoptosis (d o t) h t m l).

Anywho… We now see another of Lady Macrophages' apprentices, Lady Phi. Lady Phi is not actually part of this scene, but I find her very appropriate to be featured on this chapter. As she said, she's kind of different from Lady Em though she still is infected with the same virus albeit with a tiny bit of mutation.

I like Lady Phi, but just like her fellow macrophages, she tends to hold uncompromising views.

The next chapter should be exciting. XD

Stay safe everyone!

* * *

Revision History:

\- Originally published on Apr. 19, 2020

\- Minor update on 'the sound of battle'. Apr. 25, 2020


	29. Chapter 28: Fate's End

**Chapter 28: Fate's End**

" _You did what?" Helper T cell asked her with a face that conveyed the same expression if she suddenly grew two heads._

 _Regulatory cell stared at her partner with an equally perplexed look. "It's only logical if you think about it. I am confused with your confusion, my love."_

 _Both were sitting inside Regulatory's apartment, eating dinner, after a day's work at the Thymus HQ. Helper T cell's apartment building was under repair, and so he was temporarily staying at Regulatory's abode._

 _Helper T cell rolled his eyes with disbelief. "You know, for someone as smart and sophisticated as you, Regulatory, you sometimes act like an idiot."_

 _"Idiot?" She tilted her head slightly to the side, visibly not expecting the Thymus commander's reaction. "But, I provided a sound contingency plan in the event of my demise."  
_

 _"Yes, I can definitely see you doing that," Helper T cell let out a sigh as he placed his hands on top of hers. He looked straight into her chestnut-brown eyes. "Look, I understand this is your way of expressing your love for me, and I deeply appreciate it."  
_

 _He gently began squeezing her hands. "But the only one I love is you… the current you and no one else."_

 _For a moment, Regulatory cell did not respond. She lowered her head, contemplating what her partner just said._

" _But my love," Regulatory snapped back her attention. Her expression still looked perplexed as she attempted again to reason out her position. "Have you considered the situation in which I might-"_

" _If I die, would you look at my cell clone the same as me?" Helper T cell interrupted._

 _Regulatory blinked then blinked a couple times more. She opened her mouth to respond, but then closed it back. Then her eyes widened as the logical gears inside her nucleus finally understood her partner's position._

 _"Exactly," Helper T responded to her unspoken question. "You realize that a replacement of myself will never be the same as the 'me' that confessed to you."  
_

 _Regulatory cell shifted her gaze away from Helper T cell as she made a glancing look towards her room._

" _But I already ordered the equip-"_

 _Helper T cell shook his head._

" _It's fine, really," he once again answered her unspoken question. "If you wish to undergo mitosis, I have no problem with that."_

 _Helper T cell then leaned closer towards Regulatory cell and gave her a peck of his lips on her cheek._

" _But please, Regulatory, please understand no one can ever replace you… I don't want to replace you… you're the only ditzy cell I fell in love with."_

-0-0-0-

With her right hand, Regulatory cell tightened the straps on her left power glove and vice versa.

In front of her, Dendritic cell began a monologue about Cytokine Storm and how he was the only one who had the cytokine codes to activate it. She didn't pay any mind to his ramblings. She already knows all about the immune system's final gambit against this world-ending infection.

What concerns her the most was how to eliminate the traitor in front of her. She could sense an aura of dread emanating from the antigen-presenting cell. His face appeared paler than before. He still sported a mischievous smile, but clearly, there was no humor behind it.

"You will never get away with this, you bastard!" She heard her partner shout out from behind her.

She tilted her head slightly to her side to get a glimpse of Helper T cell sitting behind her. The Thymus Commander sat on the floor while leaning on the wall. Crimson cytoplasm stained the chest part of his uniform, which he got from his fight with an infected macrophage.

"You will be hunted down, you will not-" Helper T cell coughed out a mouthful of cellular fluid, and his expression contorted with agony.

The sight of her partner in pain made her mitochondrion ache. She knew she was terrible at expressing her feelings in the open, but that didn't mean she didn't feel a mix of sadness and anger, looking at a wounded Helper T cell.

"Hah! You may try, Helper-kun," Dendritic cell sneered. He shook the cytokine code hanging from his neck. "But without my activation code for a Cytokine Storm, your endeavors will be fruitless."

Regulatory cell narrowed her eyes. The traitorous antigen-presenting cell was right. Once the Cytokine Storm was activated, a cytokine signal would be broadcast all throughout the world, activating all forces of the immune system. Neutrophils, Lymphocytes, Macrophages, and all other supporting protectors of the world would be boosted to fight harder and faster until all of the Archtraitor's forces were annihilated. Lady Em's rebellion would be wiped out from this world along with Dendritic cell.

A sound plan if one does not consider the after-effects of a raging Cytokine Storm. True, activated immune cells would be able to fight on an entirely different level, but at the cost of losing their inhibitors for an intense craving for carnage. Such a storm could well likely end up destroying more of the world than saving it.

Still, with most of the major organs starting to get infected, a Cytokine Storm was now their only option to take.

That was, of course, if they could defeat Dendritic cell first and take away his cytokine codes.

Regulatory cell flexed her glove, covered fingers, opening and closing her hands into tight fists. She took a quick glance at her wounded partner before shifting her attention fully at the traitorous antigen-presenting cell, standing some ten micrometers away from her.

"You know, it's not yet too late to switch sides, Helper-kun," snickered Dendritic cell, his usual friendly smile now replaced with a maniacal grin. "If you could only experience the liberation I'm feeling right now, no longer bound in submission to a tyrant, to an entity that does no-"

"Dendritic-sama," Regulatory cell interrupted the ranting antigen-presenting cell.

Dendritic cell turned his attention to her. "Yes, Regulatory-san?"

"Your shoes are untied."

The antigen-presenting cell's grin turned into a frown. He tilted his head to his side in confusion. "Beg your par-"

Regulatory cell was suddenly upon him with her hand closed into a tight face, coming straight towards his face.

The power of her punch was enough to render her opponent incapacitated, but the antigen-presenting cell looked directly into her eye before blocking her attack with a swift crossing of his arm.

The clanging sound of fist hitting armored gauntlets echoed all across the empty halls of the Command Center.

Dendritic cell's grin widened from ear to ear. "Shall we dance?"

Regulatory cell answered with a flurry of punches and jabs that Dendritic cell quickly blocked and parried. Each of her attacks was aimed at his vitals, and her opponent diverted each one of them with sharp fluid motions of his hands.

Each strike and counterstrike boomed like thunder that echoed all throughout the walls of the Command Center. With everyone inside dead and lying down on the floor, only Helper T cell was left to witness the epic clash of two masters performing their craft of martial murder without the use of weapons.

Regulatory cell excelled in unarmed combat even during her academy days, but Dendritic cell was already a well-known brawler despite his eccentricities.

Dendritic cell grinned and chuckled as he thwarted each of her attempts. He taunted her, goaded her to land a hit, but Regulatory cell fought him with cold and methodical professionalism. Attempting to provoke an emotional response from her was an exercise in futility.

She punched, jabbed, kicked, stepped back, and punched again while Dendritic cell deflected, blocked, evaded, advanced, and deflected again. If she was a Neutrophil, she would have already been screaming with rage. Not even a grunt escaped from her lips as she answered all of her opponent's retorts with her fists.

Dendritic cell, for his part, made sure none of her attacks hit true. He moved, swerved, deflected, and blocked, but never countered a response of his own.

Regulatory cell could see the madness in his eyes, the craving for danger, and the exhilaration of death. He was clearly toying around her. If she was an NK cell, she would have already gone berserk at the mockery of her warrior's honor. But again, she was no huntress cell, and her logical nucleus only took into account her opponent's non-committal stance, searching for an opening.

And an opening she did find.

She threw a series of punches, followed by a backhand uppercut, and a wild haymaker. Dendritic cell countered all her attacks, but the last one was a feint, and before he could react, Regulatory cell spun around and delivered a hook kick to the head.

The antigen-presenting cell couldn't mount a defensive stance on time and so received the full brunt of her kick in the face, which hurled him a couple of micrometers from where they stood.

Regulatory cell didn't relent. She rushed toward Dendritic cell just as he staggered to stand up. She coiled her left arm and then hurled it out as a haymaker with every power she got.

Her fist connected, but it didn't hit Dendritic cell's face. At the last millisecond, the antigen-presenting cell threw his own punch and met her fist head-on.

A massive boom and a blast of air burst out from the impact of their fists.

Regulatory cell narrowed her eyes. A grunt of pain finally slipped out from her lips as searing pain coursed through her nucleus from her hand.

The attack that would have been her coup de grace was stopped, and now Dendritic cell glared back at her with his lips curled into a snarling grin.

"My turn."

The antigen-presenting cell moved like a ghost, delivering lightning-fast assaults which forced Regulatory cell on the defensive.

Their movement increased in tempo, and soon they blurred in an uncoordinated dance of death.

Regulatory cell evaded and deflected, but also threw counterattacks each time she saw an opening. For her, this was not a game for her to play with. This battle could only have one victor and no one else.

Dendritic cell was insanely fast, and soon her defenses got swarmed by multiple attacks. The last one, she mistook a punch as a feint and instead got hit by the full brunt in the gut, which sent her careening back a couple of micrometers.

Fortunately, her legs didn't give way. She shifted her footing and deftly evaded a connecting kick to the face.

Regulatory cell grabbed the antigen-presenting cell by the back of his outstretched leg. She then lurched forward, shifting his center of gravity, and slamming him down to the ground head first.

She then sat on top of him as she smashed his face over and over again until her fists were stained in crimson cytoplasm.

And yet, despite the beating, Dendritic cell forced a defiant laugh even as he coughed out globules of black ichor.

Regulatory cell did not relent. She raised her arm to deliver the final blow when she felt something slid into her side.

She stopped her fists mere microinches from her opponent's face. She could see the cytoplasm-drenched Dendritic cell grinning at her as if to convey to her his victory.

Then, she glanced down and finally saw the handle of a knife lodged into her side, crimson cytoplasm began soaking her office uniform.

Her eyes went wide as a stream of pain seared into her nucleus. For the first time in this battle, her mask of indifference finally broke. She opened her mouth and let out all her suppressed emotions into a primal scream full of rage and hurt.

She could hear Helper T cell shouting her name, but the pain in her side prevented her from forming a coherent thought.

She tried to get up, but Dendritic cell grabbed her by the neck and slammed her to the ground beside him. This time, he was on top of her, pinning her to the ground as she squirmed.

"I admit, Regulatory-san, you out-bested me," the antigen-presenting cell whispered in her ear. "And that's why I had to cheat."

He grabbed the handle of the knife and then pulled it out of her side, which made her scream even more.

"Get away from her!" the distant voice of her partner cried out. "You bastard, get away!"

She turned her head to her side and saw a wounded Helper T cell on his feet, struggling to come towards her.

Her vision suddenly became blurry as tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Just kill me," she muttered, her voice weak and crackling with emotions.

"Do not worry, this will all be over," Dendritic cell chuckled. He brandished the knife in front of her, toying it with his fingers. "But I will not be the one to end your life."

Then, the antigen-presenting cell leaned closer to her ear as he whispered a code. "Regulatory cell, kill thyself."

"No." Regulatory cell muttered through gritted teeth, her limbs began to stiffen.

Dendritic cell placed his knife on her hands as he stood up and moved a step back from her.

Regulatory cell staggered to sit up. Her hands trembled as they clutched the cytoplasm drenched knife tightly. She wanted to throw it away, but her hands would not budge.

Then, slowly, her hands positioned the tip of the blade directly at her throat.

"Reg! NO!" Helper T cell screamed.

Regulatory cell watched her partner struggle to run towards her only for his legs to give way, and he fell to the ground with a thud.

"Don't do it, Reg!" Helper T cell begged. With all his willpower, he started to crawl. "Please! Don't do it!"

But her hands were hard as kidney stones. Slowly, the knife came closer to her throat, microinch by microinch.

Tears streamed down Regulatory cell's cheeks as she continued to stare at Helper T cell, her eyes pleading for help. All the suppressed emotions inside burst out from her. There were so many things she wanted to say to her partner, but everything was already too late.

"Reg, please!" Helper T cell cried out. "Don't..."

Regulatory cell's lips arced to form a sad smile.

"My love," she muttered before plunging the knife into her throat.

* * *

 **A/N:**

So uh, yeah, that really happened. And just to clarify, what Dendritic cell just did to Regulatory cell is my take on Apoptosis, the same thing he did to his first victim back in Chapter 12. In real life, our dendritic cells can do that for cells that are not doing well like getting infected or are damaged. This is why Ebola is a deadly disease because it infects immune cells like dendritic cells and then they start telling healthy immune cells to kill themselves. This is also the reason why I depicted the Ebola infection as a Civil War because it is a battle between immune cells.

Anyways, I have a very important announcement.

I will be taking a break from this story for a while as I will focus on writing a second Cells at Work fanfic which will be a Novella (promise this time it will only be a novella!).

My initial plan is to write this 2nd CAW in only 2-3 months although the last time I said something similar is when I said I'll write this fanfic in just 6 months (it's now almost 3 years lol). XD In any case, the 1st chapter of my 2nd CAW fanfic will be released probably by the 1st week of May.

I've been thinking about this second CAW fanfic for 3 weeks now and I've finally decided to write it out. It will be a story with a different set of characters and a different kind of virus. ^^

If you wish to get an update for the release of this 2nd CAW fanfic, please follow me as an author so you will be notified of any new stories I'll be writing on. Thanks!

Stay safe everyone!

* * *

Revision History:

\- Originally published on Apr. 26, 2020


	30. Chapter 29: Sacrifice Denied

**Chapter 29: Sacrifice Denied**

The screams of the damned were everywhere.

NT4201 paused to look back but only saw a fog of darkness despite the illumination given out by the cap-light she borrowed from her senpai. The creeping howls of unseen nightmares seemed to be microinching closer and closer on them, and still, she couldn't see anything.

They were inside the lightless planes of the abyss, the place outside the organs and blood vessels, but still inside the encapsulated epidermal space of the world. The battle between the traitorous macrophages and the loyal forces of the immune system broke the walls of a major blood vessel flowing towards the liver, causing massive _internal hemorrhaging_. The destruction of the vascular wall sucked out countless of her kind along with scores of the infected.

As for her, she descended into the abyss by herself. For all intents and purposes, she should have died in the land of the living. However, circumstances orchestrated by a mad macrophage made her stray into the land of darkness to search for her senpai, whom she wanted to kill.

She tightened her grip on her blade and immediately felt shame. To think she was ready to commit the final act of damnation with the hemoglobin of her senpai. Fortunately, her senpai's love for her trumped-up all her hatred and jealousy. The erythrocyte named AE3803 never left her for a thrombocyte, she was always there for her as her beloved senpai.

Now it was her turn to protect her.

As an erythrocyte, she should not be able to wield a knife much less fight. Red blood cells were not made to battle the world's enemies, but she was no longer any ordinary red blood cell. Though she had finally controlled the voices in her head, strips of the virus's RNA were still inside her. Since she was enucleated, she couldn't be infected, but she still obtained the fighting capabilities from the virus's RNA.

"Neutrophil, are we there yet?" She shouted as she resumed to catch up with her companions.

"Not yet," replied U-1146, his voice calm, but stern.

NT4201 could see the Neutrophil carrying the little platelet on top of his shoulders while holding her senpai's right hand as they ran. The thrombocyte was awfully quiet, but she could see her hands trembling as she clutched the Neutrophil's head tightly. As for her senpai, she seemed bewildered at their sudden flight. One minute they were hugging each other, and the next, they were running away from an unseen horde.

They quickened their pace. The junior erythrocyte could feel her whole membrane screaming for respite. Still, she ignored the pain, knowing to rest now would mean certain doom.

"Um, Onii-chan, something's coming." the little platelet exclaimed.

NT4201 saw the thrombocyte sitting up straight on the Neutrophil's shoulders as she turned her attention to her right despite seeing nothing but darkness. She had her hands cupped near her ears, trying to amplify her hearing. The Neutrophil had muted off his receptors as it already sensed approaching hostiles. Still, it couldn't figure out the exact direction from where these enemies were coming.

The junior erythrocyte's eyes went wide. Before any of her companions could react, she dashed towards the direction the platelet was looking at, her blade ready in her hand.

It didn't take long before a howling cell came rushing in towards her. Her cap-light showed her a mindless neutrophil missing a portion of his neck, which caused his head lolled to one side.

NT4201 spun at the very last moment, evading the charge of the mindless cell before she slashed her knife at the remaining membrane of his neck. The infected Neutrophil's head flew off as he crashed to the ground, never to move again.

NT4201 then located the decapitated head before crushing it into bits of cellular goo with her boot.

"Kouhai-chan! Are you alright?" she heard her senpai call out to her.

NT4201 turned and saw the Neutrophil, and her senpai had stopped to check on her.

"Don't stop!" she snarled. The chorus of the damned crying out for carnage had grown louder by the instant. If an infected cell had already reached this point, then it meant they only had seconds before they got overwhelmed by the approaching swarm. "Move it, Neutrophil! You have to protect my senpai!"

The ashen-faced white blood cell opened his mouth to speak but then decided to close it. He gave a curt nod before grabbing the little platelet from his shoulders, raising her up. He then placed her on top of her senpai's shoulders.

As for her senpai's part, she gladly carried the little thrombocyte on her shoulders as she held her legs tightly.

"Don't worry, Platelet-chan, I got you," her senpai assured her passenger.

"Platelet-chan, you will be our sensor for now," the Neutrophil told the little platelet. "Don't worry, I will protect you and RBC-san from any threats, alright?"

"Alright, Onii-chan," the little platelet concurred. She then turned her cap in reverse as if to show her seriousness. "I will do my best."

The white blood cell gave him a smile and a pat on the head. She then saw her senpai squeezing the little thrombocyte's legs as a way to assure her.

Though NT4201 would never acknowledge it, a part of her did feel envious at how different her senpai treated her and compared to how she treated the thrombocyte. However, if she did give in to her jealousy, then she would not be here to run alongside her beloved senpai. She shook her head and brushed the thought away.

The Neutrophil turned towards her.

"I'll take the front, you guard the rear." He commanded.

"I know," NT4201 replied impatiently.

The white blood cell nodded then resumed his run, followed by her senpai and the platelet. The junior erythrocyte immediately took the rear.

For a good full minute, they ran. With only the faint illumination of their cap-lights, they navigated the uneven and rocky plains of the abyss. Her senpai struggled to keep up with the Neutrophil, and there were even times when NT4201 thought she would trip and fall. However, her senpai persevered, not giving way to exhaustion or fear. Like that time when the world was about to end, her senpai never gave up, and they instead pushed on to victory.

The little platelet turned her head to the left and pointed to a hand towards the blackness. "Onii-chan! Left!"

It didn't even take a second for the Neutrophil to respond as he swerved and charged toward the direction pointed by the platelet. He became a silhouette in the darkness, with only the light from his cap-light giving faint illumination. The light blurred and faded, and NT4201 could hear the sound of a knife ripping into cellular membrane followed by the agonizing screams of the Neutrophil's prey.

Her senpai started to slow down, distracted by her friend's fight. The junior erythrocyte gave her a shove from behind, telling her to keep up her pace.

"Sorry, Kouhai-chan!" Her senpai apologized as she quickened her run.

Done with his slaughter, the Neutrophil then moved back to their formation, but then the little platelet once again pointed her hand to the right.

"Kouhai-nee-chan, right!"

NT4201 sprinted to the right and immediately spotted an infected Eosinophil wielding a rusted spear charging straight towards her.

The junior erythrocyte deflected the spear with a sharp swing of her blade as she connected it with a heavy jab. Knuckles met disfigured face, and the fallen white blood cell was hurled back to the ground dazed. NT4201 then plunged her knife right into her opponent's eye socket. The Eosinophil let out an ear-splitting scream as she squirmed.

NT4201 didn't wait for her opponent to lay still. She pulled out her knife and hurried back to her companions.

This cycle of spotting, intercepting and neutralizing approaching enemies went on for far longer than the junior erythrocyte expected. The rate of infected cells rushing towards them kept on increasing until they were battling out multiple attackers at once.

She fought an infected Killer T cell, followed by another score of fallen white blood cells. Each kill made her insides boil with rage.

No erythrocyte could ever do what she'd done. With the virus's RNA inside her, she had acquired the fighting instincts of the deadly virus. All this knowledge made her able to stand her ground against the forces of the damned.

The last of the infected cells she fought was a Natural Killer cell that still possessed a tinge of her sanity. They battled, and she out bested her to the absolute shock of the fallen NK. The damned huntress never expected an erythrocyte to fight her, and her mistake earned her a knife straight to her mitochondrion.

Gradually, the cries of the damned started to sound distant. They encountered two more stragglers, which she made sure to never get back up on their feet, and then no more.

For what seemed like an hour of running, they finally reached the outer walls of the liver.

"Turn off your lights," the Neutrophil told her as he also turned off his cap-light. "We've arrived. Just give me a moment to figure out where the hatch is."

Though she couldn't see him in pitch darkness, she still nodded her head in acknowledgment. She then heard the sound of the Neutrophil knocking on the wall and searching for something hollow.

A pair of hands suddenly grabbed her left arm from the back. It was not the touch of an enemy, but the gentle touch of someone who cared for her. She could feel her senpai leaning closer to her with the little platelet still on her shoulders.

"Thanks for protecting us, Kouhai-chan," her senpai whispered. "After this whole mess, let's hang out sometime."

For a moment, NT4201 didn't reply. She felt embarrassed to admit it, but she didn't know what or how to respond to her senpai. After all, she did accuse her of ill will and almost tried to kill her.

And yet, even after all that, her senpai still decided to hug and make peace with her. She was loved, and that was all that mattered.

"Yes, let's hang out after," she whispered back. Then she added. "Let's also take your neutrophil friend and Platelet-chan with us."

"Kouha-nee-chan, let's all go on a picnic!" the little platelet chimed in. "We could drink tea and eat all the sweets we'd want. "

"Aye," NT4201 replied. Amidst the darkness, she raised her hand and searched for the thrombocyte. Once she felt her, she then patted her on the head. "I'd love that and sorry."

"What for?" the little platelet asked.

The junior erythrocyte never had the chance to reply as the darkness was interrupted with a soft glow coming out from a secret opening in the liver wall.

"Here!" the Neutrophil hissed. He gestured to her senpai to get in first. "RBC-san, you go first, then Platelet-chan."

Her senpai concurred and then brought the little platelet down from her shoulder. She then dropped to all fours and crawled into the opened escape shaft.

"Your turn, Platelet-chan," the Neutrophil gestured.

The little thrombocyte gave the white blood cell a tight hug before going into the shaft.

"Your turn Kouhai-san," said the Neutrophil. "I'll go on last."

With only the glow of the light coming out from the shaft, NT4201 could only see the grim silhouette of the white blood cell's face.

She took a step forward, then stopped.

"I…," she paused, contemplating her next words carefully. "You should go first."

A loud roar from a distance reminded them that the enemy was still out there to get them.

"Kouhai-san, what is this all about?" the Neutrophil asked. He took a step forward to stand so close to her that he loomed with his full height over her.

NT4201 averted his gaze for a second before looking up to stare directly into his eyes.

"I am not going to survive this war." She declared with absolute certainty. "Even by some miracle I survive, do you think those NK cells will permit me to live?"

She imagined the infected Natural Killer cell she killed. Even as a traitor, she could still see the fiery eyes of zealotry in her eyes. They were this world's relentless huntresses, and any deviation to the order would earn a not so pleasant visit from them.

"You don't know that." The Neutrophil countered.

"You think?" she snapped, before adding. "And before you point to your sensor telling me I'm not hostile, you are not an NK."

"I can vouch for you."

"Hah, like that would work," she let out a mirthless laugh. "Face it Neutrophil, I am going to die before I can go on a picnic trip with you, Platelet-chan, and Senpai. I know it, you know it, it's a fact."

She lowered her head and focused her gaze on her hand, holding the knife given by the Neutrophil. The ground began to shake from the trampling of a thousand boots. The howls of their unseen enemy were growing louder and louder. They only had perhaps a couple of seconds before they were spotted.

"Let me die fighting these monsters and not by the blade of an overzealous inquisitor."

"Alright," the white blood cell nodded. "I understand."

But before she could reply, he grabbed her by the collar and hauled her into the shaft. NT4201 didn't even have the time to protest as she tumbled inside the cramped and dilapidated passageway.

The Neutrophil immediately followed her before closing the lid of the secret shaft once again.

Anger shook her entire being as she was denied a chance for martyrdom.

Her face contorted into a snarl to hurl her rebuke at the Neutrophil, but her words died in her lips as the lid boomed from the pounding of fists and the roars of rage from the other side.

The unseen horde had finally arrived, and they barely missed their prey by mere seconds.

* * *

 **A/N:**

The pieces are now converging into their final positions. Finally, NT4201's team has entered the liver, and I'm definitely excited for what comes out next.

The next chapters would now focus on the Liver Arc and we might finally see the 'Shrine Maidens' that Lady Si was taunting a few chapters back. ^^

Alright for some other news.

Over the past month, I have been writing a second CAW fanfic which deals with the SARS-COV-2 virus which causes Covid-19.

The fanfic is called, 'Cells at Work! Code Black: Covid-19' and I just published its first 2 chapters in the last two weeks. As the name suggests, it follows a new set of characters from 'Cells at Work Code Black' (which is getting an anime next year, 2021!), a new world, and a new deadly enemy.

Now, unlike this Ebola fanfic of mine which is heavily influenced by W40k, this new Covid-19 fanfic deals much more with what the medical science says on how the virus attacks our body.

I highly suggest you all check it out, follow/favorite it, and leave some thoughts in the review section. XD

Once again, thank you all for the continued support. Back in 2018 when I started this fic, all I wanted was to get some experience and exposure to writing. Now I have written a couple of stories and I'm definitely not stopping any time soon!

Stay safe everyone!

* * *

Revision History:

\- Originally published on May 12, 2020


End file.
